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Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, sent a missive to Judge John W. Holcomb, asking for leniency successful his sentencing and outlining the reasons for his gambling issues.
Mizuhara committed slope fraud and taxation fraud arsenic helium stole astir $17 cardinal of Ohtani’s wealth to wage disconnected gambling debts.
Federal prosecutors asked for a 57-month situation sentence, portion besides asking Mizuhara to wage $16.9 cardinal of restitution to Ohtani, and different $1.1 cardinal to the IRS.
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Mizuhara asked for an 18-month condemnation successful prison, portion revealing the factors successful his beingness that drove him to gamble, successful his missive obtained by The Athletic.
Mizuhara said helium has sacrificed his beingness and his family's lives since becoming Ohtani’s interpreter/manager successful precocious 2017.
"Usually, erstwhile a Japanese shot subordinate makes the determination to the United States, they would bring implicit aggregate unit members to instrumentality attraction of assorted tasks, specified arsenic a driver, trainer, chef, off-the-field interpreter/support member, etc. However, I was the lone idiosyncratic Shohei brought along," Mizuhara said successful the letter.
"So naturally, I had to enactment him with astir of the above-mentioned tasks. I drove him everyplace helium needed to be, went connected predominant market runs, ran random errands whenever helium needed them, truthful I felt similar I was connected telephone 24/7."
Mizuhara said the busy shot schedule, combined with the planetary clip quality dealing with Ohtani’s absorption squad successful Japan, would support him up precocious astatine nighttime connected the phone, causing him to suffer sleep.
Mizuhara said the offseason was much hard than the shot season, owed to Ohtani’s demanding schedule.
"The offseason was overmuch harder some physically and mentally. Shohei would bid 5-6 times per week, and I was liable for reserving the facility, mounting up and cleaning up each of the signifier equipment, filming and tracking each of his exercises, being his grooming spouse (as it was conscionable him and I during each of the offseason training), driving him backmost and forth, and communicating each of this backmost to the Angels and his idiosyncratic pitching/hitting/rehabilitation radical successful the United States."
"I would besides beryllium moving regular errands specified arsenic market shopping, checking his mailbox, fixing his bicycle, accompanying him erstwhile helium went backmost to Iwate Prefecture to sojourn his family, taking his canine to the vet and groomer, dropping disconnected and picking up his dinners with peers portion I waited successful the car, helping to coordinate Japanese and U.S. lawyers for his matrimony prenup and attending meetings, etc."
In summation to those tasks, Mizuhara said helium was liable for communicating with the endorsement and brokerage companies to acceptable up Ohtani’s commercialized shoots. Those shoots were erstwhile per week successful betwixt offseason training, leaving Mizuhara with small clip off.
With each the enactment helium was doing for Ohtani, Mizuhara said helium felt severely underpaid. Mizuhara said the Angels paid him $85,000 successful 2018, $87,000 from 2019 to 2021, $99,611.16 successful 2022, and $250,000 successful 2023; but Ohtani paid him astir $11,000 per year.
"I felt similar I was getting severely underpaid, but I was acrophobic to talk up for myself, arsenic I was connected a one-year declaration each year, and I didn’t privation to upset them and hazard being fired," Mizuhara said.
Another situation of moving for Ohtani was that Mizuhara had to unrecorded adjacent by to Ohtani, which meant helium had to wage higher rent to person a spot adjacent him.
"All of these other expenses were taking a immense toll connected me, and I was surviving paycheck to paycheck. There were months erstwhile I had to get wealth from household and friends to marque ends meet."
Mizuhara said helium had opportunities to assistance himself financially, "such arsenic penning books, doing TV/radio interviews, and appearing successful TV commercials, which would person helped maine financially, but they were each unopen down by Shohei and his institution successful Japan."
Among the salary, precocious demands of his job, and not being capable to marque immoderate wealth for himself connected the side, Mizuhara said helium thought gambling mightiness beryllium an accidental to assistance himself financially.
"Before I knew it, my gambling indebtedness had grown truthful overmuch that I couldn’t find immoderate mode to wage it disconnected but by utilizing Shohei’s money," Mizuhara said. "I felt terribly blameworthy astir putting my hands connected his money, but astatine the time, it seemed similar the lone solution."
Mizuhara tin present lone anticipation that Judge Holcomb tin find immoderate sympathy for him successful his sentencing, with his broadside of the communicative present retired there.
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