Ohtani’s ex-interpreter now scheduled to surrender in June after court grants second continuance
Instead of reporting to federal prison on Monday for his conviction for embezzling at least $17 million from baseball star Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara has received a second continuance, according to court filings.
Mizuhara, the disgraced interpreter of the Major League Baseball star, now faces a 16 June deadline to report to prison. The new date is nearly three months after Mizuhara’s initial surrender date of 24 March. He pleaded guilty last June to one count of bank fraud and a count of signing a fraudulent tax return.
During a 37-month span, Mizuhara placed more than 19,000 wagers with an illegal California gambling operation run by bookmaker Matt Bowyer. Mizuhara wagered more than $325 million over the period, incurring overall net losses of approximately $40.2 million, according to authorities.
Another delay
US District Court Judge John Holcomb initially granted Mizuhara’s request in February for a voluntary surrender within 45 days of his sentencing. The judge sentenced him to 57 months in federal prison, in line with the upper limit of federal sentencing guidelines.
Last week, Mizuhara appeared before Holcomb for a hearing on his ex-parte application to extend the surrender date. The 8 May hearing came several days before Monday’s deadline for Mizuhara to surrender. In April, the court unsealed a filing revealing that Mizuhara received a continuance to extend his date for surrender.
Holcomb did not disclose any factors in the filing for granting Mizuhara’s application. Before the unsealing of the file, there were indications of a potential delay.
By Monday around 3pm ET, officials listed Mizuhara as “not in BOP custody,” under his status in a federal registry. Mizuhara is listed under Bureau of Prisons register number: 09459-511.
Since Mizuhara’s February sentencing, it is unclear if he has actively sought treatment for a gambling addiction. The interpreter’s counsel enlisted a forensic psychologist to conduct an extensive screening of his client leading up to the sentencing hearing. At the February hearing, the interpreter tearfully apologised for betraying Ohtani’s trust.
Once Mizuhara completes his sentence, he may be eligible for extradition back to Japan.
Efforts to contact Michael Freedman, Mizuhara’s attorney, were unsuccessful on Monday.