Ippei Mizuhara: Ohtani's Ex-Colleague Sentenced To Jail For Stealing 17 Million From LA Dodgers Star

Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, was sentenced to 57 months in jail for stealing $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar in order to fund his gambling habit and repay debts incurred from losing bets. (More Sports News)

Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year.

U.S. District Court Judge John W. Holcomb's verdict included three years of supervised probation once the prison term culminates. Mizuhara has also been levied with restitution payments of $17 million, which he will have to make to Ohtani, and will also have to pay $1.1. million to the Internal Revenue Service.

Speaking to the court post the verdict, the interpreter apologized to Ohtani, the LA Dodgers, the government and his family

바카라�I am truly, deeply sorry for what I have done,바카라� Mizuhara said. 바카라�I am prepared to be punished for it.바카라�

Mizuhara acknowledged that the money he used was 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.

Mizuhara바카라�s attorney, Michael Freedman, requested the court for a sentence of one and a half years. During the sentencing hearing, he asked that the judge consider his client바카라�s gambling addiction was challenged by his connection to a bookie willing to credit him large sums of money because of who he worked for.

바카라�He was exposed to a world in which he was given a unique and unlimited credit to run up these kinds of numbers,바카라� Freedman said.

In a legal document, the prosecutors highlighted that there was only minimal evidence that Mizuhara had been involved in gambling prior to robbing Ohtani.

The former had worked for the Dodgers as Ohtani's interpreter. Mizuhara was also part of the LA Angels staff when Ohtani played there as a before signing for the Dodgers as a free agent for the 2024 season.

(With AP inputs)