US district judge John Holcomb said Mizuhara “undermined” himself with a letter he wrote to the court asking for an 18-month sentence. Holcomb said he gave the letter no weight because Mizuhara “misrepresented truths” and it “suffered from (missing) important facts”.
Mizuhara, who pleaded guilty to two federal counts in June, stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani for gambling debts. On Thursday he was sentenced in US District Court for the Central District of California. The maximum sentence for one count of bank fraud and one count of signing a fraudulent tax return was 33 years.
He asked for and was granted 45 days to report to begin his sentence in a Southern California federal prison. He is mandated to report on 24 March.
According to a recording released by the court, Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani by phone to get access to his bank account. The recording was one of 24 times Mizuhara impersonated his boss. He also made multiple transfers over two and a half years. But he never deposited winnings back into Ohtani’s account.
19,000 wagers, hundreds of millions in bets
Mizuhara placed more than 19,000 wagers and made hundreds of millions of dollars in bets, according to court documents. Between September 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara racked up $40.7 million in gambling losses while wagering more than $300 million.
In his letter to the court, Mizuhara wrote that he felt he was “underpaid” for the work he did for Ohtani. That included interpreting but also running errands, filling out forms and other daily tasks. He also said that due to his work schedule he was separated from his wife, who lives in Japan, and the couple had to fly to visit each other. He pointed to the high rent that he had to pay to live near Ohtani, in Newport Beach.
But Holcomb called Mizuhara out, saying that court documents also show that Ohtani paid to fly Mizuhara and his wife first-class for visits and that Ohtani paid Mizuhara’s rent.
“Frankly, I find it a bit misleading,” Holcomb said ahead of sentencing. “It seems like he’s not telling me everything. Mr Mizuhara wrote that he lived ‘paycheck to paycheck’ but the data points that I received are $30,000 and $195,000 in his personal account. I consider those to be significant amounts.”
“Unique” circumstance
In the letter to the court, Mizuhara accepted full responsibility for his actions and expressed remorse. His lawyer, Michael Freedman, argued on Thursday that Mizuhara regrets his actions and “knows that he will spend the rest of his life” paying for them.
He also went on to say that he believed Mizuhara’s situation to be “unique”. Because of Mizuhara’s celebrity connection, he said, he was offered unusually large lines of credit from illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. He also indicated that had Mizuhara not worked for Ohtani, he may not have been in a position to meet Bowyer or be tempted to bet.
“His job exacerbated his gambling addiction,” Freedman said. “If he had never been introduced to Mr Bowyer, his addiction may have remained in the background. He does not blame Mr Ohtani, he takes responsibility.” But, Freedman said, Mizuhara’s addiction was “inflamed” by the circumstances.
Freedman said in court – and Mizuhara wrote in his letter – that he has a history of gambling addiction. But the US attorneys’ office could not uncover evidence to back this up. Freedman said that as a young man, Mizuhara’s parents “bailed him out” of a gambling situation.
“He was in a crisis of addiction,” Freedman said of the last several years. “But he was in a unique world where he was allowed to run up this amount of credit.”
Bonuses, a Porsche and more
Holcomb did not buy into the arguments. He questioned the truthfulness or completeness of Mizuhara’s claims throughout the proceeding.
US attorney Jeff Mitchell recommended a 57-month sentence, but also said that there is no question that Mizuhara is or was suffering from some sort of “mental health” issue, whether that be “addiction or dealing with depression”.
Mitchell revealed that Ohtani tipped Mizuhara for doing errands, that Ohtani and other baseball players he had worked for gave him five-figure year-end bonuses. Ohtani’s sponsors gave Mizuhara gifts and freebies, as well. He also shared that at the end of 2023, Ohtani provided a Porsche SUV for Mizuhara to drive.
In the end, Mitchell said, Mizuhara repaid his boss by “falsely telling an ESPN reporter that Ohtani” was aware of the gambling and was helping to pay off the debt. That interview sent “shockwaves” through the baseball community and created an “international incident”. The ESPN interview took place in South Korea last March when the Dodgers were playing a season-opening series there.
The comments led Major League Baseball to conduct an investigation into Ohtani’s involvement. The league ultimately determined that Ohtani was not involved in the illegal gambling. Bowyer said he never asked Mizuhara if he was placing bets for Ohtani, the New York Post reported.
“I truly admire Shohei as a baseball player and a human being and I was committed to devote my life so Shohei can be the best version of himself on the field,” Mizuhara wrote. “I want to say I am truly sorry for violating his trust in me.”
Mizuhara “deeply sorry” and asks for “mercy”
But, Mitchell said, Ohtani’s reputation was soiled, possibly for life.
Mizuhara spoke briefly during the 1-hour 45-minute proceeding.
“Thank you, your honour, for the opportunity to speak at sentencing,” Mizuhara said in a low voice. “As I noted in my letter, I am truly sorry to Mr Ohtani. In my letter to you, I was not trying to justify my actions in any way, I was trying to show the circumstances of my situation. I am deeply sorry for what I have done and I beg your mercy and promise that I will make the most of it.”
The comments echoed what Mizuhara wrote in his pre-sentencing letter to the court.
“I am asking that you will look at me as a man and believe change can happen,” Mizuhara wrote to the court. “I don’t believe an apology will fix my wrong. I am prepared to accept my consequences. I am asking for a little mercy from the court concerning my sentence you will hand down.”
Mizuhara also apologised to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the court and his family.
Bowyer: “Feels guilty” he didn’t stop Mizuhara
Mizuhara’s bookie, Bowyer, is set to be sentenced on 4 April. In a New York Post story on 3 February, Bowyer said that while Mizuhara was betting with him, he was “in my own gambling addiction, going to Vegas and betting millions of dollars”. Bowyer is based in San Juan Capistrano, in Orange County, California.
At the height of his business, Bowyer had more than 700 customers. His illegal bookmaking service used Costa Rican-based offshore wagering platforms and a call centre to service bettors. He told the Post that he knew Mizuhara was stealing from Ohtani and, athough he failed to stop it, he now “feels guilty”.
In the Post story, Bowyer also revealed that he took bets from Pete Rose, who in 1989 was banned from MLB for betting on baseball.
Mizuhara, who grew up in Southern California, is not a US citizen. His lawyer wrote in the sentencing memorandum that he is likely to be deported to Japan after serving his prison sentence. Holcomb concurred.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/sports-betting/online-sports-betting/mizuhara-gets-57-month-prison-term/
