Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter gets more than 4 years in prison, must pay $18 million in restitution

Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, was sentenced Thursday to more than four years in prison and ordered to pay $18 million in restitution in an illegal betting case in which prosecutors say he stole millions from the Dodgers star. 

Mizuhara pleaded guilty last year to one count each of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return, admitting to stealing millions from the Japanese player to pay off illegal gambling debts. On Thursday, a federal judge in Orange County sentenced him to four years and nine months in prison, the same length of prison time prosecutors were seeking. The charges had carried a maximum possible sentence of 30 years. 

Mizuhara must surrender to federal authorities by March 24.

Prosecutors said he stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani's bank account while working as his primary translator, wiring the money in unauthorized transfers from the player's checking account between November 2021 and January 2024. He began gambling with an illegal sports bookie in September 2021, according to prosecutors, and started to lose substantial sums of money several months later.

During that time, prosecutors said the contact information on Ohtani's bank account was changed, and rather than including the player's information, it linked to an anonymous email address connected to Mizuhara as well as his phone number. Prosecutors said he also called the bank and falsely identified himself as Ohtani so he could get wire transfers from the player's account to reach the illegal gambling associates he was trying to pay off.

Last month, an audio recording obtained by the Associated Press surfaced, in which Mizuhara allegedly impersonated the baseball star on a call with a bank as he tried to transfer over $200,000. Prosecutors said he claimed the money was for a car loan.

As his primary translator, Mizuhara was tasked with helping Ohtani communicate with fans and his English-speaking teammates. The Japanese player is widely recognized as one of the biggest stars in the league, nabbing his first World Series win last year and breaking a major MLB record during the same season — becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season.