A former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Shohei Ohtani was
Ippei Mizuhara, a close friend of the Dodgers superstar, admitted to stealing from him by hijacking his account and impersonating him with bank staff to feed a "voracious" gambling habit, U.S. Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service officials said at a press conference Thursday. They spoke as a criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court in California.
There is no evidence that the 29-year-old pitcher authorized the transfers, they said, adding that he has cooperated fully in the investigation.
"Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim," said
Records reflect about 19,000 wagers made between December 2021 and January 2024, with roughly 25 bets a day on average, according to the complaint. They ranged from about $10 to $160,000, with an average bet of about $12,800.
Mizuhara, 39, is scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon in Los Angeles. While he won't be asked to enter a plea, the court will likely arrange for him to be released on bond.
If convicted, he could face as many as 30 years in prison, Estrada said, though under federal sentencing guidelines the term could be significantly shorter. And given the U.S. statement about his admission, it's also possible he will strike a plea deal.
Betting on sports is legal in many states, but not in California, where the Japanese wunderkind has played since 2018. Major League Baseball prohibits players and other personnel from betting on its games. MLB rules also bar betting with illegal bookmakers.
MLB symbol
The charges come as Ohtani, a rare combination of pitcher and hitter who signed a record $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, has become a symbol of MLB's efforts to expand its brand worldwide. The Dodgers, owned by investors led by billionaire Mark Walter, opened their regular season last month with two games in South Korea.
Mizuhara recently became the subject of multiple probes following reports of his ties to a southern California bookmaker under federal investigation.
At a March 25 press conference Ohtani said he has never bet on sports or used a bookmaker.
"I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker," the native of Japan said through a new interpreter, adding that he was "very saddened and shocked" by the allegations against Mizuhara.
Impersonating Ohtani
Mizuhara lied to Ohtani's bank to access his friend's account, Estrada said, adding that prosecutors had obtained recordings of phone calls with bank employees in which he pretended to be Ohtani and got the bank to approve large wire transfers.
The contact information for Ohtani's account was changed to Mizuhara's phone, according to the criminal complaint.
Mathew Bowyer, the alleged bookmaker, is under criminal investigation by the IRS as well, the agency confirmed last month. Meanwhile, Major League Baseball has also been investigating Mizuhara.
In early December 2022, Mizuhara messaged a person the complaint refers to as Bookmaker 1, saying, "Can u bump me last 200? I swear on my mom this will be the last ask before I pay it off once I get back to the states," according to the complaint.
'It's all over for me'
In a message to the bookmaker last month, Mizuhara feared the game was up, the complaint suggests.
"Have you seen the reports?" he said, referring to news accounts of the scandal.
"Yes, but that's all bulls—. Obviously you didn't steal from him," prosecutors say the bookmaker responded. "I understand it's a cover job I totally get it."
"Technically I did steal from him," Mizuhara responded, according to the complaint. "It's all over for me."
The case is U.S. v. Mizuhara, 24-mj-02125, U.S. District Court, Central District of California.
