By Tim Arango and Michael S. Schmidt, The New York Times
Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former translator who was fired late last month following allegations that he stole millions of dollars from the Dodgers star’s bank account to cover debts Mizuhara owed to an illegal bookmaker, is in negotiations to plead guilty to federal crimes in connection with the alleged theft, according to three people briefed on the matter.
The investigation, which began about three weeks ago after news of the alleged theft broke as Ohtani and the Dodgers opened their season with two games in South Korea, is quickly reaching a conclusion, according to the people who spoke under condition of anonymity. because the investigation continues.
A guilty plea by Mizuhara before a federal judge, likely to include an admission of a series of facts related to any illegal conduct, could confirm the account Ohtani gave to reporters two weeks ago, in which he stated that he had no knowledge of what happened to the money.
People briefed on the case say prosecutors uncovered evidence that Mizuhara stole more money from Ohtani than the $4.5 million he was initially accused of stealing, the sources said. In particular, authorities believe they have evidence that Mizuhara may have changed Ohtani’s bank account settings so that Ohtani did not receive alerts and confirmations about transactions, the three people said.
Ohtani’s lawyers first alerted federal authorities to the alleged theft, and Ohtani publicly pledged to cooperate with the federal investigation and that led by Major League Baseball. According to one of the people briefed on the investigation, federal authorities have questioned Ohtani in recent weeks to learn more about his relationship with Mizuhara.
By quickly pleading guilty, Mizuhara would increase his chances of receiving a more lenient sentence, as federal prosecutors and judges often look more favorably on defendants who make the government’s job easier by quickly admitting guilt.
Little is known about Mizuhara’s whereabouts since the Dodgers fired him. Upon returning to California from South Korea, Mizuhara was arrested by law enforcement after getting off the plane, the three people said. It’s unclear what Mizuhara told authorities during their interaction, but he was not arrested.
Mizuhara hired Michael Freedman, a former federal prosecutor in Los Angeles who specialized in white-collar criminal defense. Freedman declined to comment.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the Los Angeles offices of the IRS Criminal Division and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment. Matthew Hiltzik, Ohtani’s spokesman, referred to the player’s detailed explanation he gave to the media two weeks ago, when Ohtani said Mizuhara had stolen from him and that he had promised to fully cooperate with federal and MLB investigations.
“I have never bet on baseball or any other sport and have never asked anyone to do so on my behalf,” Ohtani said. “And I have never used a bookmaker to bet on sport. Until a few days ago, I didn’t know this was happening.
The theft allegations surfaced when the Dodgers were in Seoul to open the season with games against the San Diego Padres. Interest in the team has intensified since it signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract in December. But as he and his new teammates prepared for their opening matches, reporters began asking questions about suspicious wire transfers from Ohtani’s account that had surfaced during a federal investigation into an alleged bookmaker. Rather than inform Ohtani personally, the superstar’s agent and Mizuhara attempted to handle the crisis themselves.
Mizuhara, communicating with Agent Nez Balelo, offered different versions of what happened. First, Mizuhara said Ohtani paid the debts of an unnamed teammate, then he said he himself had run up debts with the bookmaker and Ohtani bailed him out. These changing stories alarmed MLB executives, who feared Ohtani would be tarnished by a connection to the game.
Once Dodgers and MLB executives learned of the wire transfers, but with Ohtani still in the dark, the Dodgers asked Mizuhara to address the team in the clubhouse after the first match in Seoul. He told the team that he was addicted to gambling and was in heavy debt, and that Ohtani, his close friend for years, had paid his debts.
At that point, Ohtani, who is not fluent in English but can understand the gist of some conversations, became suspicious. After Mizuhara’s speech in the clubhouse, Ohtani told reporters, he confronted Mizuhara at the team hotel. It was then, Ohtani said, that Mizuhara told him he had stolen the money from his account. The Dodgers immediately fired him.
California Daily Newspapers
