Mizuhara was arrested in April and made his first appearance in a packed federal courtroom the next day. At that hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria A. Audero allowed him to be released on $25,000 bail.
The Fraud Scheme
According to plea agreement documents, Mizuhara surreptitiously accessed a bank account he had helped Ohtani set up and used the baseball star’s funds to pay off Mizuhara’s own debts to a bookie in California, where sports betting is illegal. Mizuhara knew the password for the account because he went to the Arizona bank with Ohtani when the account was set up in 2018 and interpreted for him.
Mizuhara changed the contact information on Ohtani’s account to his own and impersonated Ohtani in his contacts with the bank, giving him full control of the pitcher-designated hitter’s assets. The scheme continued for nearly three years, with Mizuhara eventually stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani. Although most of the money went toward gambling debts, Mizuhara also took money for dental work and baseball cards.
