Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Jailed, Ordered $18M Restitution

Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, has begun serving a 57-month federal prison sentence in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, after pleading guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts. Mizuhara made about 19,000 bets and lost over $40 million, using unauthorized wire transfers from Ohtani’s account between 2021 and 2024. He was ordered to pay nearly $18 million in restitution, with $17 million to Ohtani and the remainder to the IRS, and faces likely deportation to Japan after serving his sentence. The Dodgers fired him in March 2024, and Ohtani has maintained he was unaware of the gambling activities. Authorities say Mizuhara may be cooperating in broader investigations into illegal sports bookmaking. The sentencing took place as Ohtani made his first pitching start for the Dodgers, marking a symbolic new chapter.