Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter surrenders to federal authorities for bank fraud charge
A judge approved Ippei Mizuhara's release on an unsecured $25,000 appearance bond, and scheduled arraignment for May 9.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter is in federal custody after turning himself in to authorities Friday morning, one day after being charged with bank fraud for allegedly stealing more than $16 million from the Dodger slugger's bank account to cover what prosecutors said was the interpreter's "insatiable appetite" for illegal sports betting.
Ippei Mizuhara, 39, was led into a federal courtroom in downtown Los Angeles Friday afternoon, wearing a suit but shackled at the ankles. U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria A. Audero agreed in court to allow the shackles to be removed.
Audero approved Mizuhara's release on an unsecured $25,000 appearance bond, and scheduled arraignment for May 9. Audero noted that Mizuhara has no prior criminal record and has ties to the area.
The judge ordered Mizuhara not to travel out of the area and not to have any contact with Ohtani. He was also barred from engaging in any form of gambling or associating with bookmakers of any kind. Audero also ordered Mizuhara to attend treatment sessions for gambling addiction, something his attorney, Michael Freedman, said he "fully intends'' to do.
Mizuhara said little during the hearing, answering "yes'' when asked if he understood the charge against him, then nodding in agreement to the conditions of his release.
Mizuhara could face up to 30 years in federal prison if convicted of the bank fraud charge.
Mizuhara's attorney, Michael G. Freedman, was expected to speak after Friday's court hearing but walked away from reporters. He sent the following statement Friday afternoon:
"Today Mr. Mizuhara voluntarily surrendered, made his initial appearance, and was released on bond as agreed to with the government. 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. He wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and his family. As noted in court, he is also eager to seek treatment for his gambling. We have no further comment at this time, but Mr. Mizuhara will be providing further comment as the legal process proceeds."
At a news conference Thursday, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Mizuhara had unique access to Ohtani and his personal affairs due to his relationship with the slugger, for whom he worked as an interpreter since Ohtani joined the Angels organization six years ago. In that capacity, he helped Ohtani set up a bank account in Arizona, which eventually became the source of wire transfers to the illegal gambling operation, Estrada said.
Prosecutors said stressed that Ohtani "is considered a victim in this case."
"There is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million in transfers from his account to the bookmakers," Estrada said, adding that Ohtani has been fully cooperating with investigators.
"Our investigation has revealed that due to the position of trust (Mizuhara) occupied with Mr. Ohtani, Mr. Mizuhara had unique access to Mr. Ohtani's finances," Estrada said, adding that he "used and abused to that trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani."
The criminal complaint - detailing the scheme through text messages, financial records and recordings of phone calls - showed even Mizuhara knew the game was over. In a message to his illegal bookmaker on March 20, the day the Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke the news of the investigation, he wrote: "Technically I did steal from him. it's all over for me."
Freedman declined to comment Thursday.
The scale of the theft shocked the sports community, but also further absolved Ohtani from wrongdoing in baseball's biggest gambling disgrace since Pete Rose was banned for life. Major League Baseball opened its own investigation after the controversy surfaced last month, and the Dodgers immediately fired Mizuhara.
"Given the information disclosed (Thursday), and other information we have already collected, we will wait until resolution of the criminal proceeding to determine whether further investigation is warranted," MLB said in a statement.
MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering - even legally - on baseball. MLB also bans betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
Ohtani left the Angels in December to sign a record $700 million, 10-year contract with the Dodgers. Ohtani and Mizuhara had been daily companions since Ohtani joined the Angels in 2018. Ohtani's baseball salaries prior to the Dodgers deal totaled around $40 million, although it's also expected he earns tens of millions at least in endorsements each year.
Federal investigators say Mizuhara made around 19,000 wagers between December 2021 and January 2024 - nearly 25 bets per day on average. The wagers ranged from roughly $10 to $160,000 per bet, averaging around $12,800. Estrada said investigators did not find any evidence Mizuhara had wagered on baseball.
While Mizuhara's winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani's, his losing bets were around $183 million - a net loss of nearly $41 million.
At one point, the bookmaker couldn't reach Mizuhara and threatened to approach Ohtani, identified as Victim A in the criminal complaint.
"Hey Ippie, it's 2 o'clock on Friday. I don't know why you're not returning my calls. I'm here in Newport Beach and I see (Victim A) walking his dog," the bookmaker wrote to Mizuhara on Nov. 17, 2023. "I'm just gonna go up and talk to him and ask how I can get in touch with you since you're not responding? Please call me back immediately."
The alleged fraud also spanned the lucrative memorabilia market. Investigators seized roughly 1,000 collectible baseball cards, including for such players as Yogi Berra, and discovered approximately $325,000 in transactions to online retailers from January to March. Authorities believe Mizuhara purchased the cards from the sites with the intent to resell them later.
Conflicting reports engulfed the beginning of the baseball season last month, prompting a swift move to filing the charge.
"We understood there was a significant amount of public interest in this case," Estrada said.
Mizuhara told ESPN on March 19 that Ohtani paid his gambling debts at the interpreter's request, saying the bets were on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football.
But ESPN said Mizuhara changed his story the next day, saying Ohtani had no knowledge of the gambling debts and had not transferred any money to bookmakers.
Ohtani said he first became aware of Mizuhara's gambling problem during a team meeting after the Dodgers' March 20 win over the San Diego Padres in Seoul during MLB's first game in South Korea.The LA Times and ESPN published their stories hours later.
Five days later, Ohtani told a Dodger Stadium press conference that he never bet on sports or knowingly paid any gambling debts accumulated by his interpreter. He placed responsibility entirely on Mizuhara, and refuted the interpreter's inconsistent accounts of whether Ohtani had paid off Mizuhara's gambling debts.
"I am very saddened and shocked someone whom I trusted has done this," the Japanese star said through a new interpreter.
"Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has been telling lies," Ohtani said. "I never bet on sports or have willfully sent money to the bookmaker."
According to the criminal complaint, the Mizuhara case stemmed from a broader probe of illegal sports bookmaking organizations operating in Southern California and the laundering of proceeds through casinos in Las Vegas.
"To date, these investigations have led to criminal charges and/or convictions of 12 criminal defendants and one money service business, as well as non-prosecution agreements with two Las Vegas casinos," the complaint said. "The investigations remain ongoing and have multiple targets, not all of whom are related to each other."
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.
