Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Reports to Prison After Delays

Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter who pleaded guilty to stealing millions from star client Shohei Ohtani, is in federal prison in Pennsylvania, according to the government’s database of federal prisoners.

In February, Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months for bank fraud and tax crimes related to the $17 million he stole from Ohtani to cover massive gambling debts. He was supposed to report to prison in March, but his report date was pushed back for months for reasons that remain unclear.

Mizuhara’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed to Front Office Sports that Mizuhara was incarcerated at FCI Allenwood, but would not comment on Mizuhara’s case otherwise.

The 40-year-old Mizuhara was a client of illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who pleaded guilty to his illegal gambling operation and money laundering last year. Mizuhara owed Bowyer tens of of millions of dollars when his thefts were exposed last year.

Part of Mizuhara’s plea agreement is an order to repay the $17 million he stole to Ohtani; his lawyer, Michael Freedman, has said that it is “a virtual certainty” that he will be deported upon release. (Mizuhara is a permanent resident of the United States but was born in Japan.)

Mizuhara had asked the judge in his case for a lighter sentence, blaming a “severe gambling addiction” and saying that he was “severely underpaid” while working around the clock for Ohtani. The judge in the case, John Holcomb, rejected Mizuhara’s request for lenience, calling his letter to the court “misleading.”