Baseball star Otani’s interpreter was jailed for a $17 million gambling scam

Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers Dodgers baseball star Shohai Otani, has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for fraud and gambling schemes.

He was ordered to repay $17 million (£13.6 million) stolen from a star athlete, plus another $1 million in taxes.

Mizuhara, Otani’s English interpreter since her debut in US Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2018, was fired in media coverage of her gambling activities last year, prompting an investigation into Otani’s finances.

Probe revealed that Suwon stole nearly $17 million from the athlete and paid off the debt to a Southern California bookmaker.

He then lied to his tax records and hid his actions. He pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud claims.

“Mr. Mizhara had a unique position of trust that empowered him, brought him fame and paid him well,” said Joseph McNally. “Unfortunately, he exploited this dream job and stole millions of dollars from his friends and confidants.”

“This is a sad story about American success stories being wrong. It’s wrong that Mizuhara spends years in a prison cell.”

Sitting in the courtroom in Santa Ana, California, Mizhara, dressed in a bright black suit with her hands folded in her lap, staring straight at the judge as he issued his award.

He didn’t move when the verdict was announced.

Before he was sentenced, he apologised for his actions.

“I’m really sorry to Mr. Otani for what I did. I know that an apology doesn’t solve the crime I committed,” he said. “This mistake will affect me for the rest of my life and I am ready to accept the consequences.”

The scheme threatened to derail Otani’s career (now one of baseball’s biggest global stars) as questions swirled around whether he was involved in a gambling scheme.

His translator initially claimed that the star was aware of his gambling addiction and that he lent the money to him – the claim that Otani first confirmed. He later revealed that his comments to reporters were not accurate and were part of Suwon’s plan, saying, “This is all a complete lie.”

MLB has strict rules against sports betting, which are illegal in California, but are permitted in the other 38 US.

Otani was largely silent on the issue, but in March issued a statement on the scandal.

In the court, Judge John Holcomb said he has been on probation for three years after Suwon was released from prison.

Suwon is given a 45-day surrender date and will threw himself on March 24th to sentence him to 57 months in prison.

Born in Japan, Mizuhara could also face deportation after his sentence was completed.

Mizuhara’s lawyer asked the BBC outside the court whether he would appeal.

Beyond the stolen funds, Mizuhara spent Otani’s money on purchasing several autographed baseball cards.

These cards were rated at around $325,000, and although they were intended for resale, Ohtani has since petitioned a federal judge to acquire ownership of the cards as part of the recovery process. did.

Suwon has admitted to forge his 2022 tax return and underreporting $4.1 million in revenue derived from the scheme. He owes about $1.15 million in fines and interest, in addition to his outstanding taxes.

His sentence was delayed several times by Thursday.

Originally scheduled for October 25th last year, it coincided with the first game of the World Series that Otani was playing, but prosecutors agreed to move on December 20th. . The Dodgers won the series.

The December date was then delayed, allowing for forensic psychiatrists to assess Suwon’s gambling addiction. Mizuhara’s legal team used the report to assert generosity, citing his cooperation and efforts to address his addiction.

During his previous court appearance, Mizuhara admitted the charges against him and granted his struggle against the gamble.

“I deeply regret my actions and the harm I caused to Mr. Otani and his family,” Mizuhara said. “I spiralled my personal issues out of control and betrayed the trust of someone who gave me everything.”