A US District Judge has sentenced Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, to nearly five years in prison for stealing around $17 million from Ohtani to repay gambling debts. Mizuhara, 40, was ordered to pay $1.1 million to the IRS and almost fully repay Ohtani.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return, admitting he placed over 19,000 bets with an illegal bookmaker and accumulated over $40 million in debt. His attorney cited a long-standing gambling addiction as a factor, but prosecutors said there was only minimal evidence of this.
The court heard that Mizuhara’s exploitation of his position of trust allowed him to steal millions from Ohtani, who earned around $250,000 with the Los Angeles Angels during the same period. A judge noted that most people don’t make that much money in their lifetime and hopes Mizuhara will be able to repay the stolen sum.
Mizuhara is expected to surrender to authorities on March 24 and faces deportation at a later date due to his Japanese citizenship.
Source: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43721275/mizuhara-sentenced-57-months-prison-ohtani-fraud