LOS ANGELES (CN) — Former Los Angeles Dodgers translator Ippei Mizuhara was arraigned in federal court Tuesday, a week after agreeing to plead guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from his onetime friend, baseball star Shohei Ohtani.
Mizuhara, 39, said nothing as he made his way through a thick scrum of dozens of reporters and cameramen outside the Downtown LA courthouse. Mizuhura pleaded not guilty, though his lawyer Michael Freedman made it clear that Mizuhara "intends to plead guilty at a later date." Neither Mizuhara nor Freedman commented after the five-minute hearing.
Ohtani met Mizuhara in 2013, when both were working for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Mizuhara followed Ohtani to the U.S., when Ohtani signed for the LA Angels. Ohtani became sensation, excelling as both a hitter and a pitcher, a true rarity in baseball. Mizuhara served as Ohtani's translator and assisted him in other matters, including financial — becoming his de facto manager. Mizuhara earned such trust he was able to gain sole access to Ohtani's bank account, with the ability to transfer money out of it at will and without Ohtani's other advisers' knowledge.
Mizuhara was apparently also able to conceal the depths of his gambling habit, which was no less staggering than Ohtani's performances on the field. In just 26 months, between December 2021 and January 2024, the translator placed 19,000 wagers with an illegal bookmaker. He was remarkably unsuccessful, losing a net total of more than $40 million. To cover his losses, he transferred more than $16.5 million out from his friend's bank account. He also stole another $325,000, which he used to buy baseball cards — "with the intent to resell them at a later date and use the proceeds for his own personal benefit," according to the plea agreement.
A federal investigation into the bookie led authorities to Mizuhara. Initial reports suggested Ohtani himself was somehow connected to the illegally placed bets. Even the bookmaker appears to have thought that Mizuhara was covering for Ohtani. According to the federal complaint, the bookie texted Mizuhara after news of the scandal broke, "Obviously you didn’t steal from him. I understand it’s a cover job I totally get it.” Mizuhara responded: “Technically I did steal from him. it’s all over for me.”
Tuesday was Mizuhara's second court appearance, and first since agreeing to a plea deal. He remained out on a $25,000 bond.
Nearly 50 reporters, many of them working for Japanese media outlets, showed up to cover the arraignment. None were allowed into the courtroom where Mizuhara was arraigned — a highly unusual occurrence, since courtrooms are nearly always open to the public. Instead, the media was allowed to listen to audio of the hearing in another court room.
"I understand your disappointment," U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean Rosenbluth (herself a former reporter for the LA Times, she said) told the media, but explained that her superiors had determined there was "security risks" present. She did not elaborate further.
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