Accounting
Ohtani translator charged with stealing millions for 19,000 bets
A former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Shohei Ohtani was
Ippei Mizuhara, a close friend of the Dodgers superstar, admitted to stealing from him by hijacking his account and impersonating him with bank staff to feed a “voracious” gambling habit, U.S. Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service officials said at a press conference Thursday. They spoke as a criminal complaint was unsealed in federal court in California.
There is no evidence that the 29-year-old pitcher authorized the transfers, they said, adding that he has cooperated fully in the investigation.
“Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim,” said
Rob Leiter/MLB Photos/Getty Images
Records reflect about 19,000 wagers made between December 2021 and January 2024, with roughly 25 bets a day on average, according to the complaint. They ranged from about $10 to $160,000, with an average bet of about $12,800.
Mizuhara, 39, is scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon in Los Angeles. While he won’t be asked to enter a plea, the court will likely arrange for him to be released on bond.
If convicted, he could face as many as 30 years in prison, Estrada said, though under federal sentencing guidelines the term could be significantly shorter. And given the U.S. statement about his admission, it’s also possible he will strike a plea deal.
Betting on sports is legal in many states, but not in California, where the Japanese wunderkind has played since 2018. Major League Baseball prohibits players and other personnel from betting on its games. MLB rules also bar betting with illegal bookmakers.
MLB symbol
The charges come as Ohtani, a rare combination of pitcher and hitter who signed a record $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December, has become a symbol of MLB’s efforts to expand its brand worldwide. The Dodgers, owned by investors led by billionaire Mark Walter, opened their regular season last month with two games in South Korea.
Mizuhara recently became the subject of multiple probes following reports of his ties to a southern California bookmaker under federal investigation.
At a March 25 press conference Ohtani said he has never bet on sports or used a bookmaker.
“I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker,” the native of Japan said through a new interpreter, adding that he was “very saddened and shocked” by the allegations against Mizuhara.
Impersonating Ohtani
Mizuhara lied to Ohtani’s bank to access his friend’s account, Estrada said, adding that prosecutors had obtained recordings of phone calls with bank employees in which he pretended to be Ohtani and got the bank to approve large wire transfers.
The contact information for Ohtani’s account was changed to Mizuhara’s phone, according to the criminal complaint.
Mathew Bowyer, the alleged bookmaker, is under criminal investigation by the IRS as well, the agency confirmed last month. Meanwhile, Major League Baseball has also been investigating Mizuhara.
In early December 2022, Mizuhara messaged a person the complaint refers to as Bookmaker 1, saying, “Can u bump me last 200? I swear on my mom this will be the last ask before I pay it off once I get back to the states,” according to the complaint.
‘It’s all over for me’
In a message to the bookmaker last month, Mizuhara feared the game was up, the complaint suggests.
“Have you seen the reports?” he said, referring to news accounts of the scandal.
“Yes, but that’s all bulls—. Obviously you didn’t steal from him,” prosecutors say the bookmaker responded. “I understand it’s a cover job I totally get it.”
“Technically I did steal from him,” Mizuhara responded, according to the complaint. “It’s all over for me.”
The case is U.S. v. Mizuhara, 24-mj-02125, U.S. District Court, Central District of California.
Carr, Riggs & Ingram, a Top 25 Firm based in Enterprise, Alabama, has added CapinCrouse, a Regional Leader based in Indianapolis, effective Jan. 17, 2025.
The deal is CRI’s biggest merger in its history, and the first since it
CapinCrouse focuses on exclusively serving nonprofits, such as faith-based organizations and private colleges. The merger will add 40 partners, 185 professionals and 15 offices to CRI, which has 437 partners and 2,304 staff
After the outside investment, CRI split its attest and non-attest practices, as is common when accounting firms receive private equity or venture capital funding. Carr, Riggs & Ingram, L.L.C., as an independent licensed CPA firm, is providing assurance, attest and audit services. CRI Advisors, LLC (including its subsidiary entities) operates as a separate legal entity, providing clients with tax and business consulting services.
“This merger represents an exciting milestone in our firm’s history and a significant advancement for both CRI and CapinCrouse,” said CRI Advisors LLC chairman Bill Carr in a statement Tuesday. “We have previously invested in firms that specialize in serving faith-based organizations and private colleges. With the addition of CapinCrouse, CRI is now positioned to become the leading national provider in these vital markets. By combining our strengths, we will enhance the value we offer and greatly expand our national geographical presence. We are proud to welcome CapinCrouse to the CRI family.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. CRI ranked No. 24 on Accounting Today‘s 2024 list of the Top 100 Firms, with $455.36 million in annual revenue. CapinCrouse ranked No. 27 on Accounting Today‘s Regional Leaders list of the Top Firms in the Great Lakes region, with $35.51 million in annual revenue.
“We are very pleased to join CRI,” said Fran Brown, Managing Partner of CapinCrouse. “For over 50 years, our focus has been on providing innovative service to nonprofit organizations whose outcomes are measured in lives changed. CRI’s commitment to client service, respect, and integrity is an excellent fit with our mission and firm culture. We will continue to operate under the CapinCrouse brand and are excited to now have access to more offerings and resources to further drive exceptional client service.”
Koltin Consulting Group CEO Allan Koltin advised both firms on the merger. “It is interesting to note that this is CRI’s biggest M&A deal in its history, and it comes on the heels of their private equity deal with Centerbridge Partners and Bessemer Venture Partners,” he said in a statement. “CapinCrouse, a top 125 firm nationally, is viewed by many as the preeminent firm in the country when it comes to the audit and related advisory services of nonprofits and religious organizations. My intuition suggests that going forward, we will see CRI expanding its geographic reach nationally by combining with more top 200 firms.”
Last August, CRI added
In 2022, CapinCrouse acquired the
President Donald Trump named Mark Uyeda, a Republican member of the Securities and Exchange Commission, as acting chairman of the SEC, while confirmation hearings await for Trump’s official pick as chairman, Paul Atkins.
Uyeda has been an SEC commissioner since 2022 and a member of the staff since 2006. Last month, he
“I am honored to serve in this capacity after serving as a Commissioner since 2022, and a member of the staff since 2006,” Uyeda said in a statement Monday. “I have great respect for the knowledge, expertise and experience of the agency and its people. The SEC has a vital mission—protecting investors, maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitating capital formation—that plays a key role in promoting innovation, jobs creation, and the American Dream.”
Last month, Trump
As acting chairman, Uyeda announced Monday that he would be launching a crypto task force dedicated to developing a comprehensive and clear regulatory framework for crypto assets. The task force will be led by another Republican commissioner, Hester Peirce.
The task force plans to collaborate with SEC staff and the public to set the SEC on a regulatory path as opposed to pursuing enforcement actions to regulate crypto “retroactively and reactively,” according to a
“This undertaking will take time, patience and much hard work,” Peirce said in a statement. “It will succeed only if the Task Force has input from a wide range of investors, industry participants, academics and other interested parties. We look forward to working hand-in-hand with the public to foster a regulatory environment that protects investors, facilitates capital formation, fosters market integrity, and supports innovation.”
The task force plans to hold roundtables in the future, but in the meantime is asking for public input at [email protected].
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