Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter sentenced to nearly 5 years in gambling-linked theft
Shohei Ohtani's onetime interpreter was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to pay off gambling losses.
Shohei Ohtani's onetime interpreter was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to pay off gambling losses.
In addition to the 57-month, sentence, Ippei Mizuhara was also ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution, with the majority going to Ohtani and the rest to the Internal Revenue Service.
The federal judge ruled Thursday in a Southern California courtroom that Mizuhara should self-surrender March 24. He was also ordered to three years of supervised release after his prison sentence.
Mizuhara last year pleaded guilty to bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return, in connection to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani's bank account.
Ippei Mizuhara arrives for his sentencing in Santa Ana, Calif., on Feb. 6, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon / AFP - Getty ImagesThe money was used for gambling and to purchase $325,000 worth of valuable baseball cards, prosecutors and Ohtani's legal team have said.
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