Translator Ippei Mizuhara was charged on Thursday for allegedly stealing millions from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, possibly bringing an end to a potential scandal that could have upended the Major League Baseball season.
Federal prosecutors in California announced bank-fraud charges against Mizuhara, who is accused of stealing $16 million from his friend and client to pay off an illegal bookie. According to U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada, Mizuhara got ahold of Ohtani’s bank account to feed his “insatiable appetite for illegal sports gambling.” He then blocked Ohtani’s agent, financial adviser, and accountant from being able to access the account of the baseball phenom, who is known for paying less attention to his finances than your average multimillionaire. Bank records in the filing show that Mizuhara also changed the phone number and email on Ohtani’s account so Mizuhara could access the funds. And the Feds claim to have a recording of Mizuhara calling the bank pretending to be Ohtani to release more money to pay off his debts.
With Mizuhara allegedly in control of Ohtani’s finances, the indictment states that Mizuhara placed a staggering amount of bets with the player’s money. Between December 2021 and January 2024, prosecutors allege that he placed around 19,000 bets, winning over $142 million and losing around $183 million — for a total loss of around $41 million.
Mizuhara has not yet entered a plea.
On March 21, the Los Angeles Dodgers fired Mizuhara from his position as translator after Ohtani’s lawyers claimed that Mizuhara was stealing from him to pay his gambling debts. ESPN also reported suspicious transfers from Ohtani’s bank account to an illegal bookie in California. When the scandal broke, there was speculation that Ohtani, who has denied his involvement in the scheme, could have been taking the fall for his longtime friend. Prosecutors say they did not find evidence to support that conclusion. “I want to emphasize this point: Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” Estrada said. “There is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million of transfers.”
