SANTA ANA, CA – June 04: Ippei Mizuhara, 39, the former interpreter for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, arrives at federal court in Santa Ana, CA on Tuesday, June 4, 2024. Mizuhara was expected to plead guilty to charges of stealing nearly $17 million from the Ohtani’s bank account to pay off illegal gambling debts. Mizuhara was expected to plead guilty to one federal count each of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. (Photo by Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images)
The former interpreter for the Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara, has lost his other job as an Uber Eats driver.
"Mizuhara has been an UberEats courier for a few years. Given these recent charges, he no longer has access to the platform," said Gabriela Condarco-Quesada, with Uber Eats.
Mizuhara allegedly stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off sports gambling debts during a yearslong scheme, at times impersonating the Japanese baseball player to bankers and exploiting their personal and professional relationship. Mizuhara signed a plea agreement that detailed the allegations on May 5, and prosecutors announced it several days
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Mizuhara’s plea agreement says he will be required to pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. Those amounts could change prior to sentencing.
The bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison.
