https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's Japanese-language interpreter and de facto manager, was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in March 2024 and charged in federal court with taking nearly $17 million from Ohtani's bank account to pay debts to an illegal bookmaker. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return and was sentenced in February 2025 to 57 months in prison. Prosecutors and Major League Baseball treated Ohtani as a victim of the fraud.enhttps://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e19ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-0257f92469Fri, 29 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000Judge Holcomb sentenced Bowyer to 12 months and one day in federal prison and ordered him to pay $1,613,280 in restitution, the US Attorney's Office said. The AP reported that the restitution was owed to the IRS and that Mizuhara's net betting losses with Bowyer were nearly $41 million.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e18ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-6914961314Mon, 16 Jun 2025 12:00:00 +0000Mizuhara reported to a low security federal prison in Allenwood, Pennsylvania to begin his sentence, which his attorney Michael Freedman confirmed, the Associated Press reported.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e17ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-327f49ab84Mon, 24 Mar 2025 12:00:00 +0000Mizuhara did not begin his sentence on the scheduled date, the Associated Press reported, citing federal prosecutors who said his surrender date had been postponed. A Justice Department spokesperson said the reason and the new date were under seal.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e16ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-e05681f8eeThu, 06 Feb 2025 12:00:00 +0000Judge Holcomb sentenced Mizuhara to 57 months in federal prison and ordered restitution of $16,975,010 to Ohtani and $1,149,400 to the IRS, and ordered him to surrender by 24 March, the US Attorney's Office said. Front Office Sports reported that the judge found Mizuhara's letter was not credible and that he received three years of supervised release.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e15ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-73b2e94fb8Wed, 01 Jan 2025 12:00:00 +0000In January 2025 filings, Mizuhara and members of his family sent letters saying he had been severely underpaid and on call around the clock, and his lawyers described a severe gambling addiction and asked for 18 months, Front Office Sports reported. It said prosecutors disputed his claims of serious debt and addiction and received the full sentence they had sought.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e14ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-6bb3ef81eaFri, 09 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +0000Mathew Bowyer, the bookmaker who took Mizuhara's bets, pleaded guilty in federal court in Santa Ana to operating an illegal gambling business, money laundering and subscribing to a false tax return, the Associated Press and the US Attorney's Office reported. AP said he had cooperated with investigators, including in the Mizuhara prosecution.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e12ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-a900b3b7ccTue, 04 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0000Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return before US District Judge John W. Holcomb at a change of plea hearing in Santa Ana, ESPN and MLB.com reported. He told the judge he did not report the money on his taxes. Sentencing was set for 25 October 2024.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e13ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-2931d955e1Tue, 04 Jun 2024 12:00:00 +0000After the plea, MLB said the federal investigation had been thorough, its own information gathering was adequate and the criminal case had been resolved, and closed its inquiry, MLB.com reported.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e11ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-4c3cf725e5Wed, 08 May 2024 12:00:00 +0000The US Attorney's Office said Mizuhara had agreed to plead guilty to bank fraud, with a maximum of 30 years, and subscribing to a false tax return, with a maximum of three years. It said he obtained more than $16,975,010 from Ohtani and lied to Ohtani's agents and financial advisers who asked for access to the account.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e10ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-d1de142b11Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:00:00 +0000Federal prosecutors charged Mizuhara with bank fraud, alleging he took more than $16 million from Ohtani's accounts to cover gambling debts, the Associated Press reported. US Attorney Martin Estrada said there was no evidence Ohtani knew and that Ohtani had cooperated fully. Mizuhara was presumed innocent at this stage.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e9ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-8acc9cc7f9Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000At a news conference at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani denied betting on sports or knowingly paying the debts, the Associated Press reported.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e8ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-02577d917bWed, 20 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000The Dodgers fired Mizuhara on 20 March 2024, ESPN reported, after Ohtani's attorneys accused him of what they called massive theft. MLB's Department of Investigations opened its own inquiry, according to MLB.com.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e7ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-2847b588e5Tue, 19 Mar 2024 12:00:00 +0000Mizuhara told ESPN on 19 March 2024 that Ohtani had paid his gambling debts, and the next day said Ohtani had no knowledge of the debts and had sent no money to bookmakers, the Associated Press reported, citing ESPN.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e6ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-04ef4a8e73Thu, 01 Feb 2024 12:00:00 +0000Mizuhara signed a false 2022 federal income tax return reporting taxable income of $136,865 while leaving out $4.1 million, according to the US Attorney's Office. He admitted owing about $1,149,400 in additional tax.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e5ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-480e48fe99Mon, 01 Jan 2024 12:00:00 +0000Between January and March 2024, Mizuhara spent about $325,000 from Ohtani's account on baseball cards he intended to resell, the US Attorney's Office said.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e4ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-5b2374d3d6Fri, 01 Sep 2023 12:00:00 +0000According to prosecutors, Mizuhara charged $60,000 of his own dental work to Ohtani's account and then deposited into his own account a $60,000 check Ohtani had written for that work.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e3ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-36adbe1bdbTue, 20 Jun 2023 12:00:00 +0000Prosecutors said Mizuhara transferred $500,000 from Ohtani's account to an associate of the bookmaker on 20 June 2023.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e2ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-3ef1633d1bMon, 01 Nov 2021 12:00:00 +0000From no later than November 2021 to March 2024, Mizuhara used Ohtani's password without permission and changed the account's registered email and phone number so bank employees would contact him, according to the US Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said he impersonated Ohtani in about 24 calls to the bank.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e1ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-f46e87d1a8Wed, 01 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000Prosecutors said Mizuhara began placing sports bets with an illegal bookmaker in September 2021.https://howitunfolded.com/court-cases/ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case/#e0ohtani-interpreter-gambling-fraud-case-ea28ff357dThu, 01 Mar 2018 12:00:00 +0000Mizuhara accompanied Ohtani to a bank in Phoenix to open an account to receive his MLB salary, according to the US Attorney's Office. This was the account later used for the transfers.