Shohei Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Sentenced to Five Years in Prison Following Gambling Scandal

Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter, has been sentenced to five years in prison for siphoning millions of dollars from the superstar baseball player, NBC News reported on Thursday.

Mizuhara pled guilty last year on fraud charges in one of the biggest gambling scandals in sports history, stealing millions from Ohtani to cover losses from a large gambling debt he’d amassed. Along with the five-year sentence, Mizuhara has also been ordered to pay $18 million in restitution, per NBC. Mizuhara placed as many as 19,000 wagers over a three year period from 2021 to 2024, according to the official court complaint.

“I want to say I am truly sorry to Mr. Ohtani for what I have done,” Mizuhara said in court Thursday, according to ESPN. Michael G. Freedman, Mizuhara’s attorney, told the outlet that he expects Mizuhara will be deported.

Freedman didn’t immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment, nor did a rep for Ohtani and the Dodgers.

Mizuhara served as Ohtani’s interpreter since he came to the MLB in 2017. He was fired after the scandal broke. Ohtani is widely regarded as the best baseball player in the world, and one of the greatest players of all time. He signed a massive $700 million contract with the Dodgers last year, winning his first World Series with the team this past November.

Ohtani has long said he hadn’t been aware of Mizuhara’s gambling habit nor the debts he’d incurred. After Mizuhara took a guilty plea last year, Ohtani released a statement saying the admission “brought important closure to me and my family.”

“I want to sincerely thank the authorities for finishing their thorough and effective investigation so quickly and uncovering all of the evidence,” Ohtani said last year. “This has been a uniquely challenging time, so I am especially grateful for my support team – my family, agent, agency, lawyers, and advisors along with the entire Dodger organization, who showed endless support throughout this process. It’s time to close this chapter, move on and continue to focus on playing and winning ballgames.”