Baseball

Japanese interpreter charged with stealing $16 million from MLB star Shohei Ohtani

Published

2 weeks ago

April 12, 2024

Baseball - Shohei Ohtani Press Conference - Centerfield Plaza, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California, United States - December 14, 2023 Shohei Ohtani with interpret Ippei Mizuhara during the press conference REUTERS/Aude Guerrucc

Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter was charged with bank fraud on Thursday in federal court and accused of stealing $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers power-hitting pitcher to cover gambling debts.

According to a 36-page criminal complaint and affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Ippei Mizuhara embezzled the money from an account of Ohtani’s that Mizuhara had helped set up and sent the funds without Ohtani’s knowledge to an illegal sports gambling operation

U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada, announcing the results of his investigation at a news conference, stressed that there was nothing to suggest wrongdoing by Ohtani, who signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract to join the Dodgers this season as the league’s highest-paid player.

“I want to emphasize this point. Mr. Ohtani was a victim in this case. There’s no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million in transfers from his account to the bookmakers,” Estrada said.

The outcome spared the Dodgers and Major League Baseball a potential scandal of epic proportions, recalling the controversy stirred 35 years ago when Pete Rose was accused of gambling on baseball games, including those of his own team, while he played for and managed the Cincinnati Reds.

Those allegations led MLB to permanently ban Rose from baseball in 1989. Rose later admitted to wagering on MLB games, including those played by the Reds but said he never bet against his own team.

Ohtani, 29, whose talents as a slugger and a pitcher have earned him comparisons to Babe Ruth, told reporters at a March 25 press conference that he was a victim of theft by Mizuhara and that he never bet on baseball or knowingly paid a bookmaker.

Mizuhara, 39, has agreed to turn himself over to federal authorities on Friday and was expected to make his initial court appearance that afternoon, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The defendant will not be asked to enter a plea and is expected to be released on bond, Mrozek added.

If convicted on the single count of bank fraud with which he is charged, Mizuhara could face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, told Reuters on Thursday that his client had no comment on the charge.

Starting in late 2021, Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sports book and losing substantial sums, according to the federal affidavit.

To cover his debts, Mizuhara repeatedly impersonated Ohtani to “trick and deceive” bank employees into authorizing wire transfers from Ohtani’s account, where the player’s baseball salary was deposited, the affidavit said.

Last month, while messaging a bookmaker about reports surfacing then that Mizuhara had stolen from Ohtani, Mizuhara wrote, “Technically I did steal from him. It’s all over for me,” according to the affidavit.

Mizuhara “used and abused” his unique position of trust “to plunder Mr. Ohtani’s bank account,” Estrada told reporters.

Mizuhara, who met Ohtani in 2013 when they were both with Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters team, was Ohtani’s near-constant companion during his six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels. The interpreter was fired by the Dodgers in March.

Days later, Ohtani told reporters at the March 25 press conference that Mizuhara had admitted to him that he had been using Ohtani’s account to make the payments, and said he was “saddened and shocked” by the betrayal.

Estrada said at Thursday’s press conference that a Japanese linguist had reviewed thousands of communications between Ohtani and Mizuhara and had found no discussions between the two about betting or authorizing transfers to bookmakers.

The investigation into Mizuhara grew out of an ongoing, broader probe by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Homeland Security into illegal sports gambling operations throughout Southern California, Estrada said.

-Reuters

Baseball

Baseball star Ohtani’s ex-interpreter released on $25,000 bond, issues apology

Published

2 weeks ago

April 13, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Ippei Mizuhara, the translator for Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, during an introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/File Photos

Japanese baseball great Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter was released on bond and apologized through a lawyer after appearing in court on a bank fraud charge accusing him of stealing $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to cover illegal gambling debts.

Ippei Mizuhara, 39, who surrendered to authorities earlier in the day, did not enter a plea during a 25-minute proceeding before a U.S. District Court magistrate judge in downtown Los Angeles. He was ordered to return for an arraignment on May 9.

But Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, issued a statement later Friday saying his client “wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball and his family.”

“He is continuing to cooperate with the legal process and is hopeful that he can reach an agreement with the government to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that he can take responsibility,” Freedman said. The comment suggested Mizuhara was negotiating a plea deal with prosecutors.

The hearing came a day after prosecutors charged Mizuhara and publicly exonerated Ohtani in a case that had threatened to embroil the Dodgers, the MLB and a power-hitting pitcher regarded as a national hero in his home country.

“For me personally, this marks a break from this, and I’d like to focus on baseball,” the Los Angeles Times quoted Ohtani as saying on Friday in his first public comments since his former interpreter was charged.

Mizuhara, dressed in a dark suit, said little during his hearing except to answer “yes” to a number of questions posed by the judge, Maria Audero. He was initially wearing ankle shackles, which were removed in court at his lawyer’s request.

GAMBLING ADDICTION TREATMENT ORDERED

Audero set bond at $25,000, saying he had no prior criminal record and with ties to the community was not considered a flight risk. But she ordered Mizuhara to undergo gambling addiction treatment and refrain from any contact with bookmakers or Ohtani.

Freedman described his client in court as eager to seek treatment for his gambling.

Under an agreement reached with prosecutors in advance, Mizuhara had turned himself over to law enforcement on Friday morning. He was freed from custody once processed for release following Friday’s hearing, Freedman said.

A 36-page federal criminal complaint and affidavit filed on Thursday in federal court alleges that Mizuhara engaged in bank fraud by embezzling $16 million from an account of Ohtani’s that Mizuhara had helped set up.

Mizuhara is accused of wiring the funds without Ohtani’s knowledge to an illegal sports gambling operation.

U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada stressed on Thursday there was no evidence suggesting Ohtani, who signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers this season, was anything but a victim in the case.

The outcome spared Ohtani, his team and the league a potential scandal of epic proportions, recalling the controversy stirred 35 years ago when Pete Rose was accused of gambling on baseball games while he played for and managed the Cincinnati Reds. Rose, banned from baseball for life in 1989, later admitted having bet on baseball and the Reds but insisted he never wagered against his team.

Ohtani, 29, whose talents as a slugger and a pitcher have earned him comparisons to Babe Ruth, told reporters at a March 25 press conference that he was “shocked” by the situation and had never bet on baseball or knowingly paid a bookmaker.

He said then that he had been unaware of the allegations against his interpreter until they surfaced during the Dodgers’ season-opening series in Seoul, South Korea last month, around the time that the team fired Mizuhara.

According to the federal affidavit, Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sports book in late 2021 and losing substantial sums.

To cover his debts, Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani over the phone to “trick and deceive” bank employees into authorizing wire transfers from Ohtani’s account, where the player’s baseball salary was deposited, the affidavit said.

The investigation grew out of an ongoing, wider probe by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and Department of Homeland Security into illegal sports gambling throughout Southern California and the laundering of those proceeds through casinos in Las Vegas.

-Reuters