EGN NEWS DESK
Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter is anticipated to plead responsible Tuesday in Santa Ana federal courtroom to costs of stealing practically $17 million from the Dodger slugger’s checking account to repay unlawful playing money owed.
Ippei Mizuhara, 39, has agreed to plead responsible to at least one federal depend every of financial institution fraud and subscribing to a false tax return, in response to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The financial institution fraud cost carries a attainable jail time period of as much as 30 years, whereas the tax cost carries as much as three years in federal jail.
After U.S. District Judge John Holcomb accepts Mizuhara’s responsible plea, a sentencing date can be scheduled, most certainly a number of months sooner or later.
Mizuhara was charged in April with financial institution fraud and surrendered to federal authorities on April 12. He was launched on $25,000 bond.
When the legal case was introduced, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada stated Mizuhara had an “insatiable urge for food” for unlawful sports activities betting that landed him hundreds of thousands of {dollars} in debt to a bookmaker and led him to switch cash out of Ohtani’s checking account with out the slugger’s data.
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Mizuhara labored as an interpreter for Ohtani for the reason that slugger joined the Angels group six years in the past. In that capability, he helped Ohtani arrange a checking account in Arizona, which finally turned the supply of wire transfers to the unlawful playing operation, Estrada stated.
Estrada careworn that Ohtani was a sufferer within the case and had no data of Mizuhara’s actions.
According to Estrada, Mizuhara additionally allegedly lied to financial institution officers and was captured on tape-recorded calls impersonating Ohtani to “persuade the financial institution to approve massive wire transfers of huge quantities of cash to the bookmakers.”
Estrada stated Mizuhara acted “to plunder” Ohtani’s checking account to fulfill his “insatiable urge for food for unlawful sports activities betting,” and he “dedicated fraud on a large scale.”
According to an affidavit filed in federal courtroom by Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations particular agent Chris Seymour, data obtained from a supply inside the unlawful playing operation confirmed that between December 2021 and January 2024, about 19,000 wagers have been attributed to Mizuhara, averaging roughly 25 per day and ranging in quantities from about $10 to $160,000.
During that interval, the data confirmed Mizuhara had profitable bets price practically $142.3 million, and dropping bets of $182.9 million, leaving him with a roughly $40.7 million deficit.
Seymour wrote within the doc that Mizuhara was performing as a “de facto manager” for Ohtani, and he started inserting bets with the unlawful playing operation in late 2021. About that point, financial institution data confirmed that the contact info on the Arizona checking account, which was opened in March 2018, was modified to a telephone quantity and e-mail linked to Mizuhara.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara earlier this yr when information of the legal investigation broke.
At a subsequent information convention, Ohtani denied any data of Mizuhara’s actions. He additionally vehemently denied that he was concerned in any playing exercise.
“I by no means wager on baseball or every other sports activities, or by no means have requested any individual to wager on my behalf,” he insisted.
Ohtani stated Mizuhara “has been stealing cash from my account and has informed lies.”
Estrada stated not one of the unlawful bets allegedly positioned by Mizuhara have been on baseball video games.
According to varied experiences, wire transfers have been comprised of Ohtani’s checking account to an unlawful bookmaking operation allegedly run by Orange County resident Mathew Bowyer, who’s below federal investigation.Bowyer’s San Juan Capistrano dwelling was searched by federal brokers final yr.
Prosecutors stated Mizuhara additionally took cash from Ohtani’s account to pay different bills, together with $60,000 in dental work and $325,000 price of baseball playing cards.
The false tax return cost stems from 2022, when Mizuhara falsified his taxable earnings by claiming solely $136,865, when the truth is the determine was greater than $4.1 million stemming from his financial institution fraud, prosecutors stated. He admits in his plea settlement that he owes greater than $1.1 million in taxes for 2022.
