Jan. 24 (UPI) — Federal prosecutors have released an audio clip of the man who stole nearly $17 million from Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani allegedly impersonating him during a phone call with a bank.
Former Ohtani interpreter Ippel Mizuhara, who stole nearly $17 million from the star player, pleaded guilty last year to bank fraud and filing a false tax return. He also admitted using the money to pay off gambling debts. His sentencing is Feb. 6.
Prosecutors recommended a 57-month sentence, according to a court filing viewed by The Athletic, ESPN and Bloomberg. In another filing, Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G. Freedman, said his client suffered from a gambling addiction and asked for an 18-month sentence.
Ohtani, who signed a $700 million contract with the Dodgers in 2023, said in March that he “never bet on baseball or any other sports” and “never asked somebody” to bet on sports for him.
Prosecutors released the nearly four-minute recording, which was obtained by The Athletic and other media outlets, on Thursday. The recording was referenced in a previous court filing.
In the recording, a bank agent asks, “Who am I speaking with?” Mizuhara then replies, “Shohei Ohtani.”
Mizuhara, 40, then confirms a phone number so the bank agent can send a verification code as part of a two-factor authentication process. Mizuhara then says he is requesting $200,000 for a car loan.
“Who am I speaking with?”
“Shohei Ohtani,” Mizuhara answers.
Mizuhara told the bank agent that he would “possibly” make additional wire transfers from Ohtani’s account.
An ESPN investigation first uncovered Mizuhara sent millions of dollars in wire transfers from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaker. The Dodgers fired Ohtani’s former interpreter in March.
Prosecutors said that Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani approximately two dozen times in bank calls made to wire money from the Dodgers star’s account. They recommended that Mizuhara pay about $17 million in retribution to Ohtani and another $1.1 million to the IRS.
Mizuhara also served as Ohtani’s interpreter while he was with the Los Angeles Angels from 2018 through 2023. He was paid by both the Angels and Dodgers and by Ohtani.
Prosecutors say that Mizuhara started making bets in September 2021 with an illegal bookmaker in California and that he used Ohtani’s login information to access a Phoenix bank account from November 2021 through March 2024.
He also used the funds to pay for personal bills, including a dental bill, for approximately $325,000 worth of baseball cards and to send money to himself, court filings show.