Ohtani’s ex-interpreter reports to federal prison for gambling-related crimes
Ippei Mizuhara reported to federal prison on Monday, closing one of the final chapters in the criminal gambling case of the disgraced former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
Mizuhara began serving a 57-month sentence on Monday in the Allenwood federal prison in Pennsylvania. Mizuhara received the lengthy sentence for embezzling some $17 million from the reigning National League MVP. The former interpreter arrived at the minimum-security facility about 75 miles north of Harrisburg around noon, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson told iGB.
Mizuhara admitted to embezzling funds from Ohtani to repay gambling debts to an illegal sports betting enterprise operated by Matt Bowyer. Reputed to be one of the nation’s largest bookmakers, Bowyer is himself awaiting sentencing on federal money laundering charges.
Far from home
Born in Tomakomai, a port city on Japan’s second-largest island, Mizuhara relocated to Southern California as a child. He later returned to Japan to serve as an interpreter for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, a Japanese professional baseball team. There, he met Ohtani, then a teenage baseball prodigy.
Long before the scandal broke, Mizuhara became a close confidant of the international star. The son of a chef, Mizuhara frequently prepared meals for the pitcher-outfielder. The two also engaged in frequent video game battles and hung out often on the road. Consumed by a crippling gambling habit, however, Mizuhara, without Ohtani’s knowledge, placed more than 19,000 sports wagers with Bowyer, amounting to an overall volume of around $325 million.
While Mizuhara received back at least $140 million from the Bowyer enterprise, he also incurred losses of around $180 million, leading to a reported net debt of $40.2 million. According to federal prosecutors, Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani on calls with bank officials approximately two dozen times. On one call released by prosecutors, Mizuhara falsely claimed a wire transfer would be used to cover a car payment. In February, a contrite Mizuhara apologised to US District Court Judge John Holcomb for betraying Ohtani’s trust.
“Thank you, your honour, for the opportunity to speak at sentencing,” Mizuhara said. “I am deeply sorry for what I have done and I beg your mercy.”
Mizuhara petitioned Holcomb to recommend a California facility that would allow him to be close to his family. Initially scheduled to report in March, Mizuhara received two extensions from the court. As of Tuesday, court filings on the extensions remained sealed.
Notable inmates
Mizuhara is not the first notable defendant to arrive at FCI Allenwood to serve a sentence for a white collar crime. Jeb Magruder, an aide to former US President Richard Nixon, went to prison in the 1970s for his role in the Watergate scandal, and spent three months at the facility.
More recently, the prison served as the temporary home of Martin Shkreli, a convicted pharmaceutical executive. Nicknamed “pharma bro”, Shkreli was convicted in 2017 on two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy.
Originally assigned to FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey, Shkreli received a transfer to Allenwood amid allegations that he continued to run his company through a contraband cellphone. The Bureau of Prisons granted Shkreli’s release in May 2022.
Mizuhara reported to prison on the same day Ohtani made his first pitching start as a Dodger, some 643 days after he underwent surgery on his elbow. MLB cleared Ohtani of any wrongdoing in the gambling investigation.
On the Bureau of Prisons website, Mizuhara is listed under BOP register number 09459-511. Mizuhara may face deportation to Japan upon the completion of his sentence. Efforts to contact Michael Freedman, Mizuhara’s attorney, were unsuccessful on Tuesday.