An attorney for Ippei Mizuhara are asking a federal judge to sentence him to 18 months in prison in his fraud case, a sentencing memorandum filed on January 23, 2025, reveals.
Federal prosecutors are seeking just under five years (57 months) in federal prison, according to a document filed by the U.S. Attorney’s office on January 23.
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani admitted to stealing $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to help pay off a sizable illegal gambling debt, according to prosecutors.
“Ippei Mizuhara faces sentencing for stealing from his boss, baseball star Shohei Ohtani, to fund his gambling addiction, which was exacerbated by the unique facts of this case,” his attorney, Michael Freedman wrote in the court filing. “As will be demonstrated in this sentencing memorandum and the accompanying letters and forensic psychologist’s report, Mr. Mizuhara made a terrible mistake as a result of his serious gambling addiction, an anomaly in an otherwise law-abiding life in which he was dedicated to his career as an interpreter for Mr. Ohtani and other baseball players.”
Freedman argued for a below guidelines sentence for Mizuhara. The guidelines call for a sentence of 57 to 71 months in prison. He argued that Mizuhara’s reputation was destroyed, he will face deportation after time in his time in prison and his family will suffer as well as him as a result of his crimes.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud in May 2024 and faces up to 30 years in prison, though it is unlikely he would be sentenced to anywhere near that amount of time behind bars. He will be sentenced on February 6, 2025, in federal court in Santa Ana, California. U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb will determine his sentence.
Prosecutors filed an audio recording of Mizuhara impersonating Ohtani while on a call with his bank on January 23, which has been obtained and posted online by The Athletic.
Mizuhara admitted that he began gambling in September 2021 using an illegal bookmaker and quickly racked up millions of dollars in debt.
“Unable to pay his gambling debts, Mizuhara orchestrated a scheme to deceive and cheat the bank to fraudulently obtain money from the account,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said in a press release. “From no later than November 2021 to March 2024, Mizuhara used Ohtani’s password to successfully sign into the bank account and then changed the account’s security protocols without Ohtani’s knowledge or permission. Specifically, Mizuhara changed the registered email address and telephone number on the account so bank employees would call him – not Ohtani – when attempting to verify wire transfers from the account.”
Ippei Mizuhara, Who Apologized to Shohei Ohtani in a New Letter, Faces Deportation to Japan After His Time in Prison
In the court filing, Freedman wrote, “Mr. Mizuhara has publicly apologized and admitted his crimes by promptly pleading guilty. He takes full responsibility for his conduct and accepts that he will face significant punishment. In addition to the sentence this Court will impose, Mr. Mizuhara’s addiction and his crime have already had and will continue to have profoundly devastating effects on Mr. Mizuhara and his family.
Freedman added, “Mr. Mizuhara swiftly lost his job and the career to which he had dedicated himself. His reputation has been irretrievably stained, both locally and in his native Japan, such that he can no longer obtain employment to support himself and his family.”
He added, “it is virtually certain he will be deported to Japan following his incarceration, where he and his family will continue to face great scrutiny and shame given the unique notoriety of this case in Japan,” because Mizuhara is not a U.S. citizen despite growing up in the Los Angeles area.
Mizuhara apologized to Ohtani in a letter included in the court filing:
I understand that I have made a decision that will impact my entire life and I am not making excuses for what I have done. I am not trying to justify my actions in any way. I am asking that you will look at me as a man and believe change can happen. I don’t believe an apology will fix my wrong I am prepared accept my consequences. I am asking for a little mercy from the court concerning my sentence you will hand down. Thank you very much.
Lastly, I truly admire Shohei as a baseball player and a human being and I was committed to devote my life so Shohei can be the best version of himself on the field. I want to say I am truly sorry for violating his trust in me.
His attorney wrote, “After Mr. Mizuhara promptly pled guilty on June 4, 2024, the government noted in its press conference and elsewhere the promptness of the resolution and the Dodgers noted their pleasure that they and Mr. Ohtani could put the matter behind them and move forward in pursuit of a World Series title. ”
Freedman added, “Needless to say, the Dodgers succeeded in winning the World Series title after Mr. Ohtani’s record-setting MVP season. Mr. Mizuhara has remained cognizant of the need to avoid further negative publicity for Mr. Ohtani and has ensured that, despite the need for several continuances of his own sentencing hearing, it will proceed before Mr. Ohtani and the Dodgers begin spring training in late February to avoid unwarranted further press attention during this important time for Mr. Ohtani and the Dodgers.”
Mizuhara Said His Gambling Losses Made Him ‘Almost Dead Inside
According to the court filing, Mizhuara wrote in his letter he turned to gambling because he, “stupidly thought this might be an opportunity to help myself out financially and started to use his website for sports betting. And before I knew it, the results were the complete opposite. My gambling debt had grown so much that I could not find any way to pay it but to use Shohei’s money… I felt terribly guilty about putting my hands on his money but this was the only solution I could think of at the time. As the days went on, my debt kept growing and growing and at this point the only way I thought I can get out of this debt and pay him back was to win it back in gambling.”
He added, “I had a terrible addiction at the time and I only saw hope in life while I was gambling.”
In a report included in court documents, his psychologist wrote that Mizuhara told him, “I became almost dead inside. It was like I was just going through the motions. Although I had always told myself that I would win it all back, as it became clear to me this was an impossibility, I think I just shut down.”
The report added, “But that did not stop me from placing more bets. I felt really antsy and anxious if I did not have an active bet. I felt pressure to stay in the game. It was as if I was not doing what I needed to do, and wasting opportunity if I did have an active bet. That sounds crazy now, but that’s how I felt then.”
Mizuhara’s Wife & Parents Wrote Letters of Support
The court filing includes letters of support from Mizuhara’s parents and wife, Naomi. His wife wrote in a letter, “I have lost my parents and other family members. My husband is my only family. Since we met, we have faced difficult times and happy moments together. Losing him is the most painful thing I can imagine. His parents, who only have him as their child, also love him dearly. They are a wonderful, kind, and close-knit family filled with love. Our only wish is for our family to be together.”
His parents wrote, “[t]he thought of losing our son makes my heart ache everyday … [h]e is our only child and there have been so many times he helped us out. He is a very important part of our family. If possible, I wish to be able to continue to see him regularly. I know that Ippei will have to pay for his mistakes but these mistakes do not define who Ippei really is. He is a truly kind person and I hope you could consider his life as a whole.”
His wife added, “My husband made a mistake, and I understand that it is something that cannot be excused. However, he did not commit his wrongdoing for selfish or indulgent reasons. I believe he was not in a sound state of mind at the time. His work is more demanding than most can imagine,
and even as he reached the limits of his physical and mental strength, he continued to protect and support our family. I deeply regret not being able to support him or notice his struggles during that time.
She wrote, “The man my husband truly is would never deceive or hurt others. He is a kind and compassionate person. I am confident that he will never make the same mistake again. He is facing his actions and reflecting deeply on them.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Shohei Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Seeks Leniency in New Court Filing appeared first on Heavy Sports.