Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter details personal hardships under MLB star

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Ippei Mizuhara, who previously served as the interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, has submitted a letter to Honorable Judge John W. Holcomb, requesting an 18-month prison sentence for his bank fraud charges. Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to settle his gambling debts.

On Thursday, federal prosecutors recommended a 57-month prison sentence for Ippei Mizuhara, along with a requirement to repay $16.9 million in restitution to Shohei Ohtani and an additional $1.1 million to the IRS.

Prosecutors outlined their requests in a document filed with a California court, with the ruling set to be delivered on February 6. The document emphasized that Mizuhara’s actions caused harm to Shohei Ohtani in ways beyond just financial loss, specifically damaging the player’s reputation and goodwill, which they described as his “greatest asset.”

Ippei Mizuhara asking for a lighter sentence

Update: Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's fired interpreter, has asked for an 18-month sentence, citing addiction and regret. Mizuhara wrote he was "severely underpaid" and "on call 24/7."

"I only saw hope in life while I was gambling," his letter reads.https://t.co/36baFVYCPrpic.twitter.com/ulxo9pAggf

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) January 24, 2025

In the court filing, Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, wrote, "As will be shown in this sentencing memorandum, along with the supporting letters and forensic psychologist's report, Mr. Mizuhara made a grave mistake due to his severe gambling addiction, which was an outlier in an otherwise law-abiding life where he was committed to his work as an interpreter for Mr. Ohtani and other baseball players."

In the three-page letter, Mizuhara reflects on his personal struggles and reveals the circumstances in his life that drove him to gamble and ultimately steal from Shohei Ohtani.

Mizuhara wrote in his letter that he turned to gambling because he "stupidly thought this might be an opportunity to help myself out financially and started to use his website for sports betting. And before I knew it, the results were the complete opposite. My gambling debt had grown so much that I could not find any way to pay it but to use Shohei's money."

Mizuhara’s struggles under Shohei Ohtani

"I felt terribly guilty about putting my hands on his money but this was the only solution I could think of at the time. As the days went on, my debt kept growing and growing and at this point the only way I thought I can get out of this debt and pay him back was to win it back in gambling," Mizuhara continued.

"I had a terrible addiction at the time and I only saw hope in life while I was gambling." said Ohtani's former interpreter.

Mizuhara also noted that he was underpaid by Ohtani stating, "Shohei paid me an average of roughly 400,000 yen (roughly $2,500) per month from October to January, and 20,000 yen (roughly $125–$130) per month from February to September, which equates to roughly $11,000 per year. The reason why October to January was higher was because I was not getting paid by the baseball team during those months, as they were considered the off-season. I felt like I was getting severely underpaid, but I was afraid to speak up for myself, as I was on a one-year contract every year, and I didn't want to upset them and risk being fired."

Prosecutors have demanded that Mizuhara return the full amount to Ohtani, but the defense argues that he lacks the financial means to repay the money.

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