Judge orders Ippei Mizuhara to undergo treatment for gambling addiction

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge Friday ordered longtime former Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani released on $25,000 bail and ordered him to undergo drug addiction treatment. game.

Ippei Mizuhara exploited his personal and professional relationship with Ohtani to plunder $16 million from the two-way player’s bank account for years, prosecutors said, sometimes posing as Ohtani to bankers so he could hedge his bets and his debts.

Mizuhara only took the stand Friday to answer the judge’s questions, saying “yes” when U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria A. Audero asked him if he understood several parts of the case and the conditions of his bond .

Wearing a dark suit and white collared shirt, he entered the courtroom with his ankles shackled, but was not handcuffed. The judge approved his lawyer’s request to remove the shackles.

Mizuhara turned himself in Friday before his first court appearance. He is charged with one count of bank fraud and faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

His lawyer, Michael G. Freedman, and prosecutors declined to answer questions from media outside the courthouse after the hearing concluded.

Other bail conditions state that Mizuhara cannot gamble, whether electronically or in person, nor enter a gambling establishment, nor associate with a known bookmaker.

Mizuhara is also prohibited from contacting any victims or witnesses in the case in any form. His appearance is scheduled for May 9.

The hearing lasted about 10 minutes in a courtroom filled with journalists, largely Japanese.

The judge asked Mizuhara to let him know if he didn’t understand the bail conditions when she read them. “This is probably your only chance to interrupt a judge,” she said jokingly.

Mizuhara was ordered to submit to a drug test, surrender his passport and remain within the jurisdiction of the Central District of California. The judge noted his family ties to the area, his longtime residence here and his surrender Friday morning when she approved bond.

The judge also noted that Mizuhara had no criminal history.

Ohtani was not identified by name during the proceedings. Prosecutor Jeff Mitchell, in response to a question from the judge, said only that “the victim has been informed.”

The $25,000 unsecured bond, also known as a signature bond, means Mizuhara did not have to provide any money or collateral to be released. If he violates his bail conditions, he will have to pay $25,000.

Freedman told the judge his client was already considering treatment for gambling addiction.

Prosecutors said there was no evidence Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and authorities said Ohtani was cooperating with investigators.

Mizuhara was not asked to enter a plea during his brief appearance in court in downtown Los Angeles on Friday. A criminal complaint, filed Thursday, detailed the alleged scheme through evidence including text messages, financial records and phone call recordings.

While Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled more than $142 million, which he deposited into his own bank account and not Ohtani’s, his losing bets totaled approximately $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million.

In a message to his illegal bookie on March 20, the day the Los Angeles Times and ESPN broke news of the federal investigation, Mizuhara wrote: “Technically, I stole it. it’s over for me.

Major League Baseball launched its own investigation after the controversy surfaced and the Dodgers immediately fired Mizuhara.