Ippei Mizuhara, the previous interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, has been sentenced to 57 months in federal jail after admitting to stealing almost $17 million from the baseball celebrity. The cash was stolen to cowl Mizuhara’s intensive playing money owed, which had amassed over a number of years. Along with his jail sentence, Mizuhara was ordered to pay restitution of $17 million to Ohtani and $1.1 million to the IRS.
The exploitation of belief:
The decide overseeing the case, U.S. District Choose John W. Holcomb, described the theft as “shockingly excessive,” noting that almost all people would by no means earn such an quantity all through their lifetime. In response to ESPN, Choose Holcomb expressed hope that Mizuhara may finally repay the stolen funds, though he acknowledged the issue of such a process. He said: “I hope that Mr. Mizuhara will have the ability to repay that sum. That continues to be to be seen.”
Mizuhara’s betrayal of Ohtani, his long-time good friend and consumer, got here to mild after a federal investigation uncovered his position within the theft. In response to prosecutors, Mizuhara had exploited his place to realize entry to Ohtani’s private accounts, utilizing his inside data to impersonate Ohtani throughout communications with the financial institution. Over the course of his employment as Ohtani’s interpreter since 2018, Mizuhara leveraged his belief to siphon massive sums from Ohtani’s funds.
Along with his jail sentence, Mizuhara will face three years of supervised launch after serving his time. Each prosecutors and Mizuhara’s legal professional, Michael G. Freedman, anticipate that the convicted man, a Japanese citizen, shall be deported as soon as he completes his sentence.
Mizuhara’s crime was pushed by his rising playing money owed, which prosecutors revealed amounted to greater than $40 million. His playing actions included betting on sports activities occasions corresponding to NBA, NFL, and worldwide soccer video games. He reportedly positioned round 19,000 bets over a two-year interval. In response to court docket paperwork, Mizuhara averaged round 25 bets a day, every guess totaling about $12,800. The entire of his playing losses reached a staggering $182 million, along with his winnings falling far brief, amounting to roughly $142 million.
Mizuhara’s legal professional argued that his consumer suffered from a playing dependancy, suggesting that this dependancy was exacerbated by the massive quantities of credit score the unlawful bookmaker prolonged to him. Nonetheless, federal prosecutors contended that there was little proof to help the declare of a longstanding dependancy. They famous that Mizuhara’s playing actions solely started after he began embezzling cash from Ohtani. Mizuhara, they argued, was merely attempting to cowl up his theft.
The impression on Ohtani and his legacy:
For Shohei Ohtani, the betrayal was not only a monetary blow but additionally a private one. The 2 males had developed a shut working relationship, with Mizuhara serving to Ohtani transition into Main League Baseball when he signed with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018. Ohtani, who is without doubt one of the most profitable and marketable athletes on the planet, confronted monetary and emotional fallout from Mizuhara’s actions.
Following the scandal’s revelation, Ohtani publicly expressed his shock and disappointment. “Ippei has been stealing cash from my account and has been telling lies,” Ohtani stated after the story broke, as CBS Sports activities reported. He clarified that he had no involvement within the playing actions that Mizuhara had pursued and that he had been unaware of the unlawful transactions occurring underneath his title.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara simply in the future into the 2024 MLB season, instantly after the information of the scandal broke. Ohtani’s authorized group has declined to remark additional on the matter.
Throughout his sentencing, Mizuhara didn’t dispute the costs, admitting to impersonating Ohtani in communication with the financial institution and expressing his remorse. He apologized to Ohtani earlier than the decide issued the sentence.
Prosecutors had really helpful a prolonged sentence of 57 months, and the decide sided with them, expressing considerations over Mizuhara’s credibility and the extent of his deceit. Mizuhara’s protection legal professional had requested a a lot shorter time period, arguing that his consumer’s actions have been pushed by a playing dependancy, however the decide didn’t discover this rationalization compelling.
