Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, has pleaded guilty to stealing $17 million from a Dodgers player. Mizuhara's sentencing is scheduled for October 25.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Mizuhara incurred substantial gambling debts by placing bets with an illegal bookmaker. "I had access to his [Shohei Ohtani's] accounts. I had large gambling debts. The only way I could think of to pay them was to send money from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaker," Mizuhara confessed to Judge John A. Holcomb.
Mizuhara has admitted guilt, and his lawyer, Michael Friedman, declined to comment on the case. The charges against Mizuhara carry a maximum penalty of 33 years in prison and a fine of $1.5 million. The court and the US Probation Office will now prepare a sentencing package.
In April, Mizuhara turned himself in after federal investigators revealed that he had stolen nearly $17 million from Ohtani to cover his gambling debts. There is a theory that Mizuhara placed bets through Matthew Bauer, who is linked to Wayne Nix's illegal gambling network, but this remains unproven.
