The Los Angeles Dodgers have long since moved past the Ippei Mizuhara gambling scandal that rocked the organization at the beginning of the 2024 season.
Shohei Ohtani found himself connected to an investigation for illegal sports gambling thanks to Mizuhara, his former interpreter and close friend. With the pressure on the team to win a World Series that season, the whole situation could have distracted the team, but the Dodgers clubhouse did not allow it.
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The truth was eventually brought to light, Ohtani was cleared of any wrongdoing, and the whole debacle was in the rearview mirror by June.
While the story has been a non-issue for MLB, the Dodgers and Ohtani for quite some time, the legal ramifications for Mizuhara still need to be played out.
After receiving an extension, Mizuhara’s new report date to federal prison is May 12, according to Sam Blum of the Athletic:
Ippei Mizuhara’s new report date to federal prison is May 12, 2025, according to a court filing.
He was initially required to report on March 24, but an extension was granted by the judge.
Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, was sentenced to 57 in prison.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) April 8, 2025
Mizuhara was initially required to report on March 24 before an extension was granted to him by the judge. He was sentenced to 57 months in prison on Feb. 6 and was ordered to pay restitution to Ohtani.
While it might be odd to believe, Freddie Freeman believes the situation was actually an important moment of camaraderie that put the Dodgers on the right path to achieve their goal in 2024.
Ippei Mizuhara impersonated Shohei Ohtani
The most damning piece of evidence against Mizuhara was an audio recording of him impersonating Ohtani during a phone conversation with a bank official.
On the call, Mizuhara states his name as “Shohei Ohtani” and claims a $200,000 wire transfer is being approved for a friend to purchase a car. A federal investigation found that Mizuhara had full access to Ohtani’s bank accounts and stole money without the superstar’s knowledge at any point.
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