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Ippei Mizuhara, the former translator for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, could well be headed to jail for a lengthy period of time in the near future. Mizuhara stands accused defrauding Ohtani in order to pay off millions of dollars of gambling debts. Federal prosecutors are recommend a 57-month jail sentence after newly presented evidence showed just how simple Mizuhara’s scheme was.

The 40-year-0ld, who worked with multiple MLB players before finding his way to Ohtani, admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts to an illegal bookmaker.

But there was not master plan or grand scheme. In fact, Mizuhara’s operation was so bold, and so simple, that he could’ve been considered to be hiding in plain sight.

Ippei Mizuhara Pretended To Be Shohei Ohtani On Phone Calls With Bank Agents

“According to the prosecutors’ filing, Mizuhara called the bank and impersonated Ohtani on approximately 24 occasions in order to wire money from Ohtani’s account,” ESPN‘s Tisha Thompson reports. “In the recording, which prosecutors said was made Feb. 2, 2022, a bank employee asked Mizuhara to identify himself.”

Prosecutors then played a recording of Mizuhara speaking with a bank agent. He tells the agent that he is Ohtani.

“Now recently, we’ve come across a trend of fraud and scams, so we have been monitoring the online transactions closely to make sure our clients are not the victim of either,” the agent asks. “What is the reason for this transaction?”

Mizuhara informed the agent that it was for a car loan. He then tells her that he is wiring money to a friend who has met in person. When asked if there will be any future transactions, he replies by saying “uh, possibly.”

Now, of course Mizuhara also needed Ohtani’s personal information. But he was able to obtain that information due to their close friendship and the nature of his work.

Prosecutors are now seeking $17M in restitution to Ohtani and another $1.1 million to the IRS. Although they did note that Mizuhara is unable to repay Ohtani. He briefly took a job as an Uber Eats driver after losing his job with the Dodgers, but was fired after a photo of him hit the internet. Now Mizuhara says he and his wife rely on his parents for money.