Federal prosecutors alleged on Thursday that Ippei Mizuhara stole more than $16 million from Shohei Ohtani while working as his interpreter and “de facto manager,” while clearing the Los Angeles Dodgers star of any wrongdoing in the recent sports betting scandal.
In a news conference in L.A., U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers last month shortly before the story broke, impersonated Ohtani in phone calls with his bank and authorized transactions.
Mizuhara helped Ohtani set up a bank account shortly after his move to the United States from Japan in 2018 in order to play baseball for the L.A. Angels. Mizuhara had access to the account, Estrada said, and refused to share access with other associates of Ohtani, including his agent, accountant and financial advisor.
In 2021, Mizuhara began placing illegal bets with a group of sports bookmakers, Estrada said. Over time, the bets became larger and more frequent, with thousands of bets made in total.
Estrada said contacts between Mizuhara and the bookmaker showed that he lost “considerable money” but continued to make wagers. It doesn’t appear that any bets on baseball were made.
Mizuhara used Ohtani’s bank account to make payments to the bookmaker, prosecutors allege. The total amount stolen from the account is more than $16 million.
“Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” Estrada said. “There is no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million of transfers from his account to the bookmakers.”
Estrada said prosecutors obtained recordings in which Mizuhara spoke to bank employees over the phone pretending to be Ohtani. In these phone calls, he gave personal information and persuaded employees to approve large transfers of money.