Former Otani Interpreter "Embezzled 23.2 Billion Won from Account"... Guilty Plea Agreement

Agreement with prosecution to admit guilt in court on the 14th
Also acknowledges omission of about 5.6 billion won income reporting and tax evasion
"Ohtani is a victim... unaware of illegal gambling debt repayment"

Former interpreter Itpei Mizuhara (40), who was indicted for tampering with the bank account of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani (30, Los Angeles Dodgers) to repay illegal gambling debts, has admitted to the charges.

Shohei Ohtani. [Photo by UPI]

On the 9th, Yonhap News reported, "The U.S. Department of Justice has reached an agreement with prosecutors for Mizuhara, Ohtani's former interpreter, to plead guilty to illegally transferring approximately $17 million (about 23.2 billion KRW) from Ohtani's bank account." Mizuhara agreed to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of false income reporting. The maximum sentence for bank fraud is 30 years in prison, and for false income reporting, up to 3 years. The Department of Justice stated, "Mizuhara is expected to plead guilty to these two charges in court on the 14th."

At the LA Dodgers press conference held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, interpreter Mizuhara Ippei (left) seated next to Shohei Ohtani (right).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the U.S. federal prosecutors in California reported that Mizuhara accessed Ohtani's account using Ohtani's password from November 2021 to March of this year. Afterwards, Mizuhara changed the email address and phone number registered with the bank so that when the bank approved transfers, they would call Mizuhara instead of Ohtani. Mizuhara also impersonated Ohtani in 24 phone calls with bank employees using Ohtani's personal information. Using these methods, Mizuhara embezzled a total of $16,975,010 from Ohtani's account.

Additionally, Mizuhara failed to report an additional income of $4.1 million (about 560 million KRW) when filing 2022 income with the IRS, thus not reporting total income. Mizuhara acknowledged the obligation to pay an additional $1,149,400 (about 157 million KRW) in taxes, related interest, and penalties.

Prosecutors stated, "Based on Ohtani's testimony and phone records, there is no evidence that Ohtani was aware of or involved in Mizuhara's repayment of illegal gambling debts," and "Ohtani is the victim in this case." Federal prosecutor Martin Estrada said, "The scale of the defendant's deception and theft is enormous," and "He abused his position of trust with Ohtani to continue a dangerous gambling habit." Several foreign media outlets reported that Mizuhara is scheduled to be tried in Los Angeles on the 14th and is expected to officially plead guilty within weeks.