Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizhara went to the bullpen from Duggout on Thursday.
Judge John W. Holcomb sentenced Mizhara to 57 months in prison and ordered him to pay $18 million in reparations.
He reports to prison on March 24th.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud last year and filed a false tax return after covering gambling obligations after stealing about $17 million from the 2024 National League MVP.
His probation officer told the judge that he recommended four years.
The prosecutor wanted 57 months, so Mizuhara sentenced the judge to 18 months.
The prosecutors got exactly what they wanted.
“I am asking for a little mercy from the court about my decision you are telling me,” Suwon said in a letter to the judge.
Bookmaker Matthew Bowier, who had been making illegal bets on Mizuhara through Mizuhara's Costa Rican betting site, told the Post last week that Mizuhara is “a great guy.”
“I think he'll be three or five years,” he said last week. “I feel it's awful that he's going through this.”
Bowier told him in a post Thursday that he wasn't in California court to see the verdict and that he had no intention of speaking more publicly about the matter until the same judge declared him on April 4th. .
The former Bookie hopes he will only get probation.
“It was very obvious after a while. [Mizuhara] Bowyer spoke to the Post in an exclusive interview last week, adding that he never asked Mizuhara if Otani was making a bet through him.
Last month, The Associated Press released an audio recording of Mizuhara, who allegedly impersonated Ohtani to the bank for a “car loan.”
Prosecutors said Mizuhara placed at least 19,000 bets through Bowyer between September 2021 and January 2024.
“During this period, Mizuhara won a total victory of at least $142,256,769, and had a total loss bet of at least $182,935,206, which means Mizuhara took around $40,678,436.
Regularly during this period, Bowyer will increase Suwon's betting limit.” The Department of Justice said.
Major League Baseball cleared Otani from fraud.
“Based on the release of federal investigations, information collected by MLB, and the undisputed criminal cases, MLB considered Shohei ohtani a victim of fraud, and the issue was closed,” he said, 2024 June 2019 stated. .
“I asked him if he was okay,” Bowyer said as Mizuhara lost a lot of money. “He said, 'I'm just terrible at this.' I try to control him a bit.
“I really believe he had a massive gambling addiction problem.”
Bowier said that despite his concerns he did not block Mizuhara due to his greed.
“I got addicted to my gambling and went to Vegas [from his Southern California home] And they bet millions of dollars. ”
Meanwhile, Otani will report on spring training in the coming days as he prepares to open a regular season game with the Cubs in Tokyo on March 18th.
Mizuhara took part in the opening game dugout last year and was fired shortly after gambling exposure was revealed.
