Ippei Mizuhara Impersonated Shohei Ohtani to Transfer $200,000 for Car Loan, Faces Nearly Five-Year Sentence

Jan 24, 2025, 02:54 AM

Federal prosecutors have disclosed an audio recording that they claim captures Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, impersonating the athlete during a phone call with a bank. The recording, referenced in a court filing, shows Mizuhara attempting to authorize a $200,000 wire transfer from Ohtani's account, claiming it was for a car loan. Mizuhara, who pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return, is scheduled to be sentenced on February 6. Prosecutors are seeking a nearly five-year prison sentence for Mizuhara and restitution of nearly $17 million to Ohtani, along with a penalty of more than $1 million to the IRS. In the recording, Mizuhara identifies himself as Ohtani and states the transaction is for a car loan for a friend he has met in person, and suggests there might be future wires to this friend. The audio was obtained by The Athletic from the Department of Justice and supports the prosecution's claims that Mizuhara bypassed security measures to access Ohtani's accounts.