How long is Ippei Mizuhara's expected sentence? Exploring potential jail time for Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter
Although Ippei Mizuhara may not have been a household name among the average baseball fan, he certainly is now. The once-beloved interpreter for superstar Shohei Ohtani now finds himself at the forefront of a massive illegal gambling controversy.
"This detail from @Alden_Gonzalez and @pinepaula 's story on Ippei Mizuhara being charged with stealing more than $16 million from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani answers a long-standing question of how he got access to the money. Full story here" - @JeffPassan
Ippei Mizuhara is being charged with felony bank fraud after an investigation into an alleged theft of more than $16,000,000 from Shohei Ohtani. The embattled interpreter, who has been by the side of Ohtani since his debut in the MLB, now finds himself out of a job and potentially facing a long prison term.
The federal authorities have charged Mizuhara with felony bank fraud, which comes along with a maximum prison sentence of 30 years. Although this ongoing saga is far from over, according to the New York Times, Mizuhara has been negotiating a deal over a guilty plea. Although there have been no details released, it would likely reduce his sentence.
In one of the most shocking stories in the MLB, Ippei Mizuhara's alleged illegal gambling and theft of money from Shohei Ohtani sent the baseball into a frenzy. A number of fans and experts were skeptical about the entire situation, with some believing that Mizuhara was a fall guy, however, this does not appear to be the case.
Federal investigators have revealed some of the details of Ippei Mizuhara's bets
One of the most infamous scandals in MLB history was the gambling of Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose. The all-time hits leader and eventual manager was found to have gambled on baseball games that his team played in, leading to his lifetime banishment from the game. This has led to him being held out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
"Ippei Mizuhara allegedly placed 19,000 wagers between Dec. 2021 and Jan 2024, according to the Department of Justice. • Average Bet: $12,800 • Winning bets: $142 million • Losing Bets: $182 million • Total Losses: $40 million The DoJ says he never bet on baseball." - @JoePompliano
This is reportedly not the case for Mizuhara. According to the Department of Justice, Mizuahara never placed any bets on baseball games. However, it's clear that the former Los Angeles Dodgers interpreter has spent millions of dollars on bets over the years. The investigators reported that Mizuhara placed 19,000 wagers with a total net loss of $40,000,000 between 2021 and 2024.