Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Major League Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, surrendered to authorities after being charged with stealing over $16 million from Ohtani to make illegal sports bets. Mizuhara opened a bank account for Ohtani in 2018 and acted as his de facto manager, shutting out Ohtani’s agent, accountant, and financial advisor. U.S. attorney Martin Estrada emphasized that Ohtani is considered a victim in this case, with no evidence suggesting that he authorized the transfers to bookmakers.
Ohtani, who came to the U.S. in 2018 to play for the Los Angeles Angels before joining the Dodgers in a $700 million deal, has cooperated fully in the investigation, providing access to his digital devices and personal information. Mizuhara, who did not bet on baseball, is linked to an illegal gambling operation. From 2021 to 2024, Mizuhara made unauthorized transfers totaling over $16 million from Ohtani’s checking account to make bets. He is accused of making thousands of bets ranging from $10 to $160,000 each, with winnings totaling over $142 million and losses exceeding $40 million.
During this time, contact information on Ohtani’s bank account was changed to link to Mizuhara’s phone number and an anonymous email address associated with him, allowing him to authorize wire transfers from the account for illegal gambling. Mizuhara’s attorney was not reached for comment, and he is facing bank fraud charges with a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Estrada stated that Mizuhara committed “massive fraud” against Ohtani to satisfy his “insatiable appetite for illegal sports gambling.”
Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sports book in September 2021 and started losing large sums of money shortly after. Despite not betting on baseball, Mizuhara’s actions led him to transfer millions from Ohtani’s account to sustain his gambling habit. Federal prosecutors noted that the transfers were made from devices and IP addresses linked to Mizuhara. Ohtani has not been implicated in any wrongdoing, with investigators highlighting him as a victim in the case due to Mizuhara’s unauthorized actions.
In an affidavit filed with a criminal complaint, it was revealed that Mizuhara’s winning bets exceeded $142 million while his losses amounted to over $40 million. The affidavit highlighted how contact information on Ohtani’s bank account was manipulated to facilitate Mizuhara’s unauthorized access and transfers. Mizuhara’s fraudulent activities included posing as Ohtani in calls to the bank to authorize the wire transfers for his illegal gambling operation. The investigation and charges against Mizuhara shed light on the impact of financial exploitation and illegal gambling in professional sports, emphasizing the need for safeguards to protect athletes from such schemes.
