30 Years of Imprisonment for Ippei Mizuhara? Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter to Plead Guilty on Alleged $16 Million Theft Charges

Ippei Mizuhara is getting ready to plead guilty. With that, the fall from grace of baseball’s once-favorite interpreter has gone down another level. Ever since reports of over $16 million of theft on Shohei Ohtani’s account came up, Mizuhara has consistently seen fans losing their previous love for him. However, that is far from his only worry. In fact, it might not even be the biggest issue currently in front of him.

ESPN reports that Mizuhara will enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks. His arrangement is scheduled for Tuesday in the US District Court for the Central District of California. Due to the federal charges of felony bank fraud and submitting a false tax return, Mizuhara is now looking at a prison sentence of over 30 years. 

Even more, information has come out about the depth of questionable activities surrounding the former interpreter. According to Fox Sports, Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his personal bank account. However, his losing bets amounted to about $183 million, resulting in over $40 million in debt for him. Notably, there is no evidence of Shohei Ohtani’s involvement or even knowing about Mizuhara’s gambling. 

So is a 30-year prison sentence a done deal for Mizuhara-san? No, although Mizuhara might also have to pay fines of around $1.25 million. However, as revealed by the agreement released on Wednesday, the prosecutors can recommend a reduced sentence. But that will be possible only if Mizuhara makes a plea where he’ll have to pay full restitution ($16,975,010) to Shohei Ohtani.

The sheer size of Mizuhara’s alleged theft has left everyone shocked. The United States Attorney Martin Estrada’s comments are a prime example of that feeling.

The shocking details of Ippei Mizuhara’s “Betrayal” of Shohei Ohtani

“The extent of this defendant’s deception and theft is massive,” Estrada said in a news release. “He took advantage of his position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani and fuel a dangerous gambling habit.” Mizuhara may have even impersonated Ohtani on the phone calls to the bank, which he allegedly did 24 times!

On Feb 2, 2022, Mizuhara called a bank representative to help get a wire transfer. Mizuhara called it a “car loan” and verified the transaction with a six-digit code sent via text message to his phone. (He had already changed Ohtani’s account’s contact information to his phone number.)

Then, in September 2023, he asked Ohtani for $60,000 to get some dental work done. Ohtani arranged it by giving a check from his business account. However, the interpreter used that money for personal benefits and instead paid the dental bill from Ohtani’s debit card. With so many details coming up, Mizuhara’s fall from grace continues rapidly. With his hearing set to begin soon, one wonders just how many layers will be revealed of this case.