Mizuhara pleads not guilty in procedural step
LOS ANGELES — The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to bank and tax fraud, a formality ahead of a plea deal he has negotiated with federal prosecutors in a wide-ranging sports betting case.
Prosecutors say Ippei Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from the Ohtani to pay off sports gambling debts during a yearslong scheme, at times impersonating Ohtani to bankers, and exploited his personal and professional relationship with the two-way player. Mizuhara signed a plea agreement that detailed the allegations on May 5, and prosecutors announced it several days later.
During his arraignment Tuesday in federal court in Los Angeles, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jean P. Rosenbluth asked Mizuhara to enter a plea to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. The expected not-guilty plea was a procedural step as the case moves forward, even though he has already agreed to the plea deal.
Defense attorney Michael G. Freedman said Mizuhara planned to plead guilty in the future. In the hallway before the hearing, Mizuhara’s attorney said they would not comment Tuesday.
There was no evidence Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling, and the player is cooperating with investigators, authorities said.
Mizuhara’s plea agreement says he will be required to pay Ohtani restitution that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. Those amounts could change prior to sentencing. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison, and the false tax return charge carries a sentence of up to three years in federal prison.
Mizuhara’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. But his losing bets were around $183 million, a net loss of nearly $41 million. He did not wager on baseball.
He has been free on an unsecured $25,000 bond, colloquially known as a signature bond, meaning he did not have to put up any cash or collateral to be freed. If he violates the bond conditions — which include a requirement to undergo gambling addiction treatment — he will be on the hook for $25,000.
The judge set a status conference for June 15.
MLB rules prohibit players and team employees from wagering on baseball, even legally. MLB also bans betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
Ohtani has sought to focus on the field as the case winds through the courts. Hours after his former interpreter first appeared in court in April, he hit his 175th home run in MLB — tying Hideki Matsui for the most by a Japan-born player — during the Dodgers’ 8-7 loss to the San Diego Padres in 11 innings.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jake Trotter
Ryan Day said he “had an inkling” Ohio State‘s headsets might go down during Saturday’s game at Michigan — so the Buckeyes coach had a backup communication plan already in place.
Ohio State lost the ability to communicate over the headsets during the second half of its 27-9 win over the Wolverines.
The Buckeyes had quarterback Julian Sayin come to the sideline between plays and get the calls directly from Day before going back to the huddle, until the problem was fixed later in the half.
“I was just getting us through it until we got the headsets up and running, which took a little while to get done,” Day said Tuesday. “But yeah, just by chance we had planned for it, and so we were ready to go.”
Day was then asked why he had the inkling.
“You just got to be ready for anything,” Day said. “When you go into any big game, you’re always trying to put contingency plans in place for anything that could possibly happen.”
Sayin said, after the game, that running to the sideline before each play reminded him of playing in high school. Day said he met with his assistant coaches Friday to go through the contingency plan.
“I think some of the guys on the staff were looking at me sideways,” Day said, “like, ‘Why would you think that would happen?’ I said, ‘I just don’t know. We just got to be ready for anything.’ It’s funny how your mind works.”
Day then winked, drawing several laughs.
Michigan, however, did not find Day’s implication humorous, denying any involvement in the Buckeyes’ communication issue in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“We do not manage their communication system. Each athletic department provides electrical power and fiber lines that are equal on both sidelines. Ohio State has staff within its athletic department that handles coach-to-player communication and the coach-to-coach headset system. The coach-to-player communication system is run by a third party chosen by the Big Ten. A neutral technician is on the sidelines to assist both teams at every game across the conference,” the statement read.
“With any cellular-based communication system, there are technical issues that happen from time to time in stadiums across the country. We don’t want the opponent to have issues because our team would have to take our communication system down as well. No one benefits from a system failure.
“In this instance, our game event manager, stadium supervisor, an electrician and staff immediately jumped in to assist with the issue on Saturday. The issue was resolved before anything needed to be taken offline.”
In August, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions penalized Michigan after investigating the school for stealing signs through advance scouting. The NCAA fined the Wolverines at least $30 million, imposed recruiting restrictions and suspended coach Sherrone Moore three games, including next season’s opener, noting it had “overwhelming” and concerning evidence of a cover-up by Michigan staff. The NCAA committee also levied an eight-year show-cause penalty for former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions and a 10-year show-cause for former coach Jim Harbaugh, now coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The top-ranked Buckeyes will face No. 2 Indiana in Indianapolis on Saturday, with the College Football Playoff’s top overall seed on the line.
Day said his team had already put the Michigan win in the past and is “locked in” on winning the Big Ten title.
“This is going to be an electric atmosphere,” he said. “It’s a great opponent. This is a very important game for us. We got to go play our best.”
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Dave Wilson
Amid a historic season at Texas Tech, the school announced on Tuesday that it has agreed on a new seven-year contract with coach Joey McGuire.
Sources confirmed to ESPN’s Pete Thamel that the new deal averages nearly $7 million per year. The school said it also includes incentives for future Big 12 and postseason success.
Under McGuire, the Red Raiders are No. 5 in the College Football Playoff ranking, having completed an 11-1 regular season with each win coming by at least 20 points. Texas Tech is making its first Big 12 championship appearance against BYU on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
“We believe the future of Texas Tech Football has never been brighter under Coach McGuire’s leadership,” athletic director Kirby Hocutt said in a statement. “Our success this season is not a one-year plan. We fully intend to be an annual contender in the Big 12 Conference with our eyes on the College Football Playoff each and every season. We have the right leader in Coach McGuire to keep elevating this program, and this contract extension is a reflection of our investment in sustaining this success for years to come.”
McGuire is 34-17 in four years in Lubbock, tied for the most wins by a Texas Tech coach through that span since Jim Carlen from 1970 to 1973.
“I couldn’t be more thankful for Kirby Hocutt and our administration for the belief in this football program,” McGuire said in a statement. “I’ve said it countless times but my family and I love Lubbock, this university and this fan base. We expect to continue to elevate this program where appearances in the Big 12 title game, like this Saturday, and the College Football Playoff are expected on an annual basis.”
Yahoo Sports first reported terms of McGuire’s extension.
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Andrea Adelson
Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert has signed a long-term contract extension to stay with the Demon Deacons after an 8-4 season, the school announced Tuesday.
In his first year with the school, Dickert led Wake Forest to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2022, exceeding outside expectations. Wake Forest was picked to finish 16th out of 17 teams in the preseason ACC media poll.
Dickert said in a statement that Wake Forest will “further invest” in football.
“This commitment ensures that our staff has the stability, resources and support necessary to continue elevating Wake Forest football,” Dickert said. “I’m proud of this team, our staff and our seniors who built the foundation for this new era, and excited for what’s ahead.”
Wake Forest had two Top-25 wins this year over Virginia and SMU, snapping the Mustangs’ 20-game regular-season conference winning streak.
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