Shohei Ohtani’s fired interpreter is accused in a new federal filing of stealing more than $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar, a sum greatly exceeding what had previously been reported.
According to ESPN, an affidavit filed Thursday claims Ippei Mizuhara committed bank fraud by stealing the money to pay off gambling debts — an alleged offense that could carry up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
Mizuhara allegedly stole the money over the course of two years, with text messages suggesting the translator started to lose “substantial sums of money” in 2021.
Ohtani, 29, told investigators he didn’t approve money transfers to an illegal sportsbook, according to the affidavit, which did not refer to the athlete by name.
Thursday’s filing came a day after The New York Times reported Mizuhara, 39, was negotiating a guilty plea for federal crimes.
Mizuhara was fired last month during the Dodgers’ season-opening series in Seoul. Five days later, Ohtani detailed his allegations by reading a pre-written statement, claiming Mizuhara stole money from his account to pay off a gambling debt.
“I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf,” Ohtani said at the time. “I never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”
Ohtani did not take any questions during that press conference at Dodger Stadium.
Before his firing, Mizuhara claimed to ESPN that Ohtani had agreed to pay off the debt, which the outlet reported at the time to be at least $4.5 million. Before ESPN published that interview, Ohtani’s lawyers released an initial statement claiming their client was the victim of a “massive theft.”
“I’m just beyond shocked,” Ohtani said during his press conference the following week. “It’s really hard to verbalize how I’m feeling at this point.”
Ohtani, a hitting-and-pitching sensation from Japan who won two American League MVPs in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, joined the Dodgers in the offseason on a 10-year, $700 million contract featuring heavily deferred money.
He is hitting .333 with three home runs this season for the 10-5 Dodgers but does not expect to pitch until 2025 as he recovers from elbow surgery.
