Ippei Mizuhara, a former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, has been sentenced to 57 months in prison following the theft of nearly $17 million from a bank account belonging to his former employer. This misappropriation was allegedly carried out to settle substantial gambling debts, as detailed by Sam Blum of Moneyline.

During the sentencing, the presiding U.S. District Judge, John W. Holcomb, remarked on Mizuhara's pre-sentence letter, indicating that the defendant misled the court and failed to disclose significant information. Prior to the conclusion of the proceedings, Mizuhara issued an apology to Ohtani and others, acknowledging the severity of his actions. Furthermore, Judge Holcomb mandated that Mizuhara pay $1.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a consequence of his fraudulent activities.

The case against Mizuhara began to unfold in March, when reports by Tisha Thompson of ESPN exposed his fraudulent dealings, resulting in his termination from the Dodgers. In April, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California publicly charged him with multiple counts of bank fraud. It was revealed that, over a period from November 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara executed unauthorized wire transfers exceeding $16 million from an MLB player’s checking account, identified in court documents as 'Victim A,' which has been confirmed to be Ohtani. Allegations stated that Mizuhara utilized his own devices and IP addresses to carry out these transfers. Additionally, Mizuhara reportedly placed approximately 19,000 bets with an illegal bookmaker, incurring debts exceeding $40 million, and filed a false tax return with the IRS. Notably, he also spent about $325,000 on roughly 1,000 baseball cards through eBay and Whatnot, using funds from Ohtani's account. Following the sentencing, Mizuhara's attorney, Michael G. Freedman, indicated that it is highly likely Mizuhara will face deportation to Japan following his prison term.