A four-minute audio recording was released Thursday by federal prosecutors. It shows Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who allegedly attempted to send a six-figure bank transfer from one of the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s accounts by pretending to be him.
Mizuhara was convicted of defrauding Ohtani, the National League MVP and global baseball superstar, and the recording, obtained by The Athletic from the Justice Department, is a key piece of evidence.
This was mentioned in a court filing, in which prosecutors also recommended a sentence of nearly five years for Mizuhara and an order for repayment from Ohtani, according to The Athletic.
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Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty on June 4, 2024 to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case and admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Shohei Ohtani. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, file)
Mizuhara, who is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and false tax filing after stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani, with whom he was best friends for years, in June 2024.
The recording was obtained from a bank, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Mitchell told The Athletic, and it supports prosecutors’ claims that Mizuhara would call banks to arrange wire transfers.
Prosecutors added that the recording was edited to redact the names of the banks and the name of an “unidentified co-conspirator.”
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In the recording, Mizuhara clearly states his name is Ohtani after the bank officer asks, “Who am I talking to?” Mizuhara bypassed the bank’s security measures and changed Ohtani’s account information to include his own email and phone number.
So when the bank officer asks Mizuhara to perform two-factor authentication using a six-digit code sent to a phone number, he can do so because the message is sent to his phone instead from that of Ohtani.
The recording shows Mizuhara matching the numbers, which allows the officer to work on her application, a $200,000 car loan.
“We have recently noticed a trend towards fraud and scams, which is why we closely monitor online transactions to ensure that our customers do not fall victim to them,” says the agent first. “What is the reason for this transaction?
Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara of the Los Angeles Dodgers during a press conference at Dodger Stadium on December 14, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Photos by Rob Leiter/MLB via Getty Images)
Next, the officer asks “Ohtani” about his relationship with the beneficiary, to which Mizuhara responds, “He’s my friend.”
‘Have you met your friend in person?'” the agent responds.
“Yes, several times,” Mizuhara replied.
Mizuhara said he robbed Ohtani to cover “a large gambling debt,” which he said in a brief statement after pleading guilty.
“I went ahead and wired some money…from his bank account,” Mizuhara said in the statement at the time.
Prosecutors requested that the restitution amount be set at nearly $17 million for Ohtani, although it was noted that Mizuhara is unable to repay that amount to the All-Star. The IRS is seeking an additional $1.1 million in restitution.
Japanese performer Ippei Mizuhara attends a press conference at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles on December 14, 2023. (Frédéric J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
The ex-performer’s winning bets amounted to more than $142 million, which he deposited into his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. His losing bets totaled approximately $183 million. He didn’t bet on baseball.
There is also no indication that Ohtani bet on baseball.
The Athletic reported that the court filing indicates that between December 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara placed approximately 19,000 bets online through Matthew Bowyer, his bookmaker who also pleaded guilty to running a gambling business illegal in August 2024.
Mizuhara’s debt totaled $40.7 million.
“His years of stealing funds from Mr. Ohtani and the myriad lies he told to Mr. Ohtani’s agents and financial advisors to cover up his theft represent a calculated betrayal of the very person he was hired to help ” Mitchell wrote in the court filing.
Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, arrives at federal court in Los Angeles on June 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
“To sum up how I feel right now, I am simply beyond shocked,” Ohtani said in a statement about the matter last year. “It’s really hard to put into words how I feel at this point.
“I am very saddened and shocked that someone I trusted did this.”
