Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter stole $16M to pay gambling debts, feds say

The former interpreter for baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani has been charged in federal court.

Ippei Mizuhara, 39, of Newport Beach has been charged with bank fraud, a felony offense with a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. He is accused of stealing more than $16 million, nearly four times as much as orignally reported, from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off his gambling debts.

According to an affidavit filed in California, the unauthorized transfers occurred via devices associated with Mizuhara between November 2021 and January 2024.

Ohtani, who is in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has denied any knowledge of the alleged scheme. His atorneys have said he’s a victim of a “massive theft.” Ohtani is cooperating with the investigation and provided investigators with his cell phone, federal officials said.

“There was no evidence to suggest that Ohtani was aware of, or involved in, Mizuhara’s illegal gambling activity or payment of those debts,” a news release said.

Federal authorities say Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sports book in September 2021 and quickly began losing substantial sums of money.

“During this time, the contact information on Ohtani’s bank account allegedly was changed to link the account to Mizuhara’s phone number and to an anonymous email address connected to Mizuhara,” a news release said.

“Mizuhara allegedly also telephoned the bank and falsely identified himself as Ohtani to trick bank employees into authorizing wire transfers from Ohtani’s bank account to associates of the illegal gambling operation.”

Mizuhara has said he didn’t bet on baseball. He is also accused of using the account to purchase approximately 1,000 baseball cards worth approximately $325,000.

The IRS and Homeland Security are also investigating.