Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter and manager of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, reported to plead guilty to two felony charges of bank fraud and filing a false tax return.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Mizuhara agreed to plead guilty on Wednesday, allegedly stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani’s accounts to cover gambling debts.
nah he filed his tax return as single when he had a whole wife 💀💀💀 this man is just a liar by nature pic.twitter.com/qn0HbfesrN
— hoeszest (@xxl233) May 8, 2024
Per the reports, he was ordered to pay nearly $17 million in restitution to Ohtani and could be facing more than 30 years in federal prison following his plea agreement on Wednesday.
Molly Knight reported the Department of Justice, has said Mizuhara agreed to enter a guilty plea on May 14 for multiple charges following an investigation into his gambling activities and transfer of nearly $17 million from Ohtani.
Similarly, ABC News reported Mizuhara’s arraignment is scheduled for May 14, his attorney, Michael Freedman, had no comment at this time. Spokesmen for the Dodgers and Ohtani also declined comment.
ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, revealed Mizuhara paid his gambling debts by wiring money to Ryan Boyajian, a cast member of the reality television show The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Boyajian is also known as an associate of Mathew Bowyer, who for context is under investigation as an illegal bookmaker.
Per the ESPN report, Boyajian would forward the money wired from Mizuhara into accounts at casinos in Las Vegas and Southern California. He and Bowyer then would withdrew the money from those accounts via chips and then gambled with them with the hopes of cashing out any winnings.
Per the updates, Mizuhara will plead guilty to one count of bank fraud with a maximum sentence of 30 years, and one count of submitting a false tax return, a maximum sentence of three years.
The DOJ said in the plea agreement that it would recommend a reduced sentence if Mizuhara “demonstrates an acceptance of responsibility.”
