The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to four years and nine months in prison and three years' supervised release for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account.
Ippei Mizuhara - The Canadian PressSANTA ANA, Calif. — The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani was sentenced Thursday to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account.
"The magnitude of the theft — $17 million — in my view, is shockingly high,” U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb said upon issuing the sentence.“I hope that Mr. Mizuhara will be able to repay that sum,” Holcomb said. “That remains to be seen.” Mizuhara has acknowledged using the money to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, in addition to $325,000 worth of baseball cards and his own dental bills.Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally told reporters after the hearing that Mizuhara took advantage of Ohtani’s vulnerability as a non-English speaking person trying to navigate the world of celebrity baseball — a high-profile example of something that is all too common. He emphasized that Ohtani was a victim.
“The most significant harm to Mr. Ohtani is the reputational damage, which may never be fully repaired,” Mitchell said. The two formed a tight-knit bond, and Mizuhara moved with Ohtani in 2018 to the U.S., where he took on numerous errands for the player such as grocery shopping, Mizuhara's attorney wrote.
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