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The trial of Ippei Mizuhara for robbing Shohei Ohtani continues and this Tuesday details of the former interpreter’s scam were revealed.
Mizuhara, who worked with Ohtani since his days with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan, confessed to calling the bank impersonating the player on at least 24 occasions to make wire transfers.
In a recording obtained by prosecutors, he is heard identifying himself as “Shohei Ohtani” while arranging a shipment of $200,000, claiming it was for a car loan.
“What is your relationship with the beneficiary?” The agent asked him.
“He’s my friend,” Mizuhara replied.
“Have you seen your friend in person?” he asked.
“Yes, many times,” Mizuhara said.
“I’m only asking because we haven’t been able to verify the transaction,” the agent said before asking how Mizuhara received the transfer information.
Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G. Freedman, revealed that his client has struggled with a gambling addiction since the age of 18, which intensified during his time working for Ohtani.
According to court records, Mizuhara placed about 19,000 bets over a two-year period, racking up more than $40 million in debts to bookie Mathew Bowyer.
In addition to confessing to the bank fraud, Mizuhara also admitted to filing a false tax return. Prosecutors have requested that Mizuhara return $17 million to Ohtani and $1.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Ippei Mizuhara claims he went out of his way for Ohtani
In a letter to the judge in the case, Mizuhara described the high demands of his job, which included being available 24 hours a day and managing multiple aspects of Ohtani’s life.
Despite a growing salary that reached $500,000 annually with the Dodgers in 2024, Mizuhara said the high costs of living in California, international travel and other financial responsibilities led him to live paycheck to paycheck.
“All these additional expenses were taking a huge toll on me and I was living paycheck to paycheck; I had to borrow money from family and friends some months to make ends meet,” Mizuhara wrote.
His wife, Naomi, also detailed in a letter how she helped Ohtani with personal tasks, from cooking for him to caring for his dog, while he dealt with extreme stress and health issues during this period.
“Lastly, I truly admire Shohei as a baseball player and human being and have committed to dedicating my life so that Shohei can be the best version of himself on the field,” Mizuhara wrote. “I want to say that I am truly sorry for abusing your trust in me.”
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