Hours before Shohei Ohtani's first start on mound, his ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara officially starts 57-month prison sentence

Shohei Ohtani's story with the LA Dodgers got off to a bumpy start after an investigation into an illegal gambling operation clouded his reputation with his former interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara at the center of it.

Mizuhara defrauded Ohtani and the United States to pay off his gambling debts. The former interpreter was found guilty of stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani and was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

His jail time started on Monday, hours before Ohtani stepped up on the mound to pitch for the first time in the Dodgers jersey. He reported to a federal prison in Pennsylvania, according to a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Mizuhara was ordered to start his sentence in March, but the judge granted the delay with the reason under court seal. He will deported to Japan after serving his sentence, per Mizuhara's attorney.

What are the charges against Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara?

From November 2021 to March 2024, Ippei Mizuhara impersonated Shohei Ohtani to cheat the Dodgers star through approximately 24 unauthorized wire transfers, worth nearly $17 million. The money was allegedly used to pay off a bookmaker, dental work, and purchase baseball cards.

In February 2024, he submitted a false individual federal income tax return for 2022. He was charged with bank fraud and tax fraud.

In February, Judge John W. Holcomb sentenced him to 57 months (4 years and 9 months) in federal prison, with three years of supervised release. Mizuhara has also been asked to pay Ohtani $17 million in restitution and $1.15 million to the IRS.

"Mr. Mizuhara had a unique position of trust that gave him power, brought him fame, and paid him well," Joseph T. McNally, acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California, said in a news release.

"Unfortunately, he exploited this dream job to steal millions of dollars from his friend and confidant. This is a sad tale of an American success story gone wrong -- so wrong that Mr. Mizuhara will be spending years inside a prison cell."

According to ESPN, Mizuhara placed around 19,000 bets totaling over $40 million in losses, plus purchases like $325K in baseball cards.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash