SANTA ANA, Calif. — A federal judge sentenced Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter convicted of defrauding Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, to 57 months in prison at a sentencing hearing inside Orange County Superior Court on Thursday.
Mizuhara sat silently, and had no visible reaction as Judge John W. Holcomb read the sentence, which included three years of supervised release and a restitution of more than $18 million to Ohtani and the Internal Revenue Service.
The sentence was exactly what the government had requested in a pre-sentencing filing. Mizuhara had requested an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty in June to bank fraud and filing a false tax return.
Holcomb stated that the reasoning for the sentence was, in part, due to Mizuhara’s pre-sentencing letter to the court, which Holcomb said was “filled with misrepresentations and omissions.”
“I give it no credit,” Holcomb said of Mizuhara’s letter.
Mizuhara also spoke briefly at the sentencing, apologizing to Ohtani, his family, the Dodgers and the United States government. He told the judge “I beg your mercy, and I promise I will make the most of it.”
Mizuhara declined comment following Thursday’s hearing. He has to report to the to-be-determined prison by noon on March 24. He requested to be incarcerated in Southern California.
Mizuhara, 40, did not have any friends or relatives present, though several wrote letters on his behalf to the judge.
Ohtani filed a victim impact statement with the court under seal. Victims have the right to file their statements in such a manner to avoid them becoming public. He was not present at the hearing.
Holcomb’s sentence brings a conclusion to an 11-month ordeal that rocked the baseball universe at the start of the 2024 season. Mizuhara had worked alongside Ohtani for more than a decade, dating back to Ohtani’s playing days with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2013. He served as his interpreter, personal assistant, home run derby catcher, and close friend.
Their professional relationship came to an end in March, when the Dodgers fired Mizuhara following accusations of theft surrounding the longtime Ohtani confidant. The Dodgers were in South Korea, facing the Padres to open the season. Mizuhara initially stated to the Dodgers, and in interviews, that Ohtani had loaned him money to repay gambling debts.
That story quickly unraveled, and prosecutors formally alleged weeks later that Mizuhara bet hundreds of millions of dollars with an illegal bookmaker and stole money to pay the bookie. Mizuhara, they said, accessed one of Ohtani’s bank accounts to pay off a betting debt that reached more than $40.6 million.
In audio first obtained by The Athletic in January, through the Department of Justice, Mizuhara called the bank, impersonating Ohtani in the hopes of wiring $200,000 from his account. He made numerous such calls, and also created fake email addresses pretending to be Ohtani.
In a pre-sentencing letter to the judge, Mizuhara claimed to be “severely underpaid” and overworked by Ohtani, who relied on him for daily errands throughout much of the calendar year. Mizuhara also said he had developed a gambling addiction.
“Although I had always told myself that I would win it all back, as it became clear to me this was an impossibility, I think I just shut down,” Mizuhara wrote in the Jan. 23 letter. “But that did not stop me from placing more bets. I felt really antsy and anxious if I did not have an active bet. I felt pressure to stay in the game.”
Mizuhara and Ohtani shared many a podium together; the Seoul Series would mark the end of that relationship. (JUNG YEON-JE / AFP via Getty Images)
Holcomb pressed Mizuhara and his attorney, Michael Freedman on the claims. The judge was specifically curious about Mizuhara’s omissions that Ohtani paid for the interpreter’s rent, tipped him regularly in five-figure amounts, gave him a Porsche, and paid for he and his wife to fly around the world.
The judge also agreed with prosecutors, who had noted that Mizuhara made no attempt to pay Ohtani back, and continually pocketed winnings, while stealing from Ohtani to cover losses.
As such, he rejected Mizuhara’s claim that he was living “paycheck to paycheck” given that he always had money in his bank account.
Freedman, Mizuhara’s attorney, acknowledged that part of Mizuhara’s letter was “poorly worded.”
While prosecutors and Freedman said that Mizuhara took full responsibility for his actions, Holcomb disagreed with Freedman’s assertion that his client immediately “fessed up.” He pointed to the initial ESPN article that broke this scandal, in which Mizuhara claimed Ohtani was aware of Mizuhara’s gambling addiction and helped pay off the debt.
“Why is he not giving me the full picture,” Holcomb asked?
Holcomb also took issue with Freedman’s argument that the significant amount stolen shouldn’t be considered a factor in sentencing, given the unique nature of the case and its victim. His argument was that Mizuhara was given a significant line of credit from bookmaker Matthew Bowyer because of his connection to Ohtani. Ultimately, the amount of money stolen did play a factor in Holcomb’s sentence.
Prosecutor Jeff Mitchell continued to push back against Mizuhara’s letter as well, reiterating in court that he provided excuses for his conduct, rather than genuinely feeling bad for his crimes.
“Instead of showing true remorse,” the government said in a Jan. 30 filing, “defendant appears to try to justify stealing millions of dollars from Mr. Ohtani.”
Both Freedman and prosecutors believe that Mizuhara will be deported back to his home country of Japan. He is a legal permanent resident of the United States, and grew up in Southern California, but is not a citizen. Committing a felony could be grounds for deportation, though that likely won’t be resolved until he finishes his prison sentence.
“The sentence, both the prison time and restitution reflect the seriousness of the offense, and sends a strong message to others who might decide to engage in this sort of conduct,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally outside the courthouse following the hearing.
“This case is a high-profile version of something that happens all the time. An unscrupulous person takes advantage of the trust placed in them.”
(Photo of Mizuhara leaving court Thursday: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP via Getty Images)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6119634/2025/02/06/ippei-mizuhara-sentencing-shohei-ohtani/
