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Tisha Thompson
Federal prosecutors disputed claims by Shohei Ohtani‘s former interpreter that he stole from the slugger to pay back massive gambling debts, saying there was no evidence he suffered from a gambling addiction before he started draining the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s bank account, according to court documents filed Thursday.
Ippei Mizuhara is due to be sentenced Feb. 6 after his June guilty plea. Last week, he asked U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb for an 18-month sentence, instead of the nearly five years prosecutors seek. Mizuhara said he was remorseful and blamed the crime on what he called a “long-standing” addiction to gambling in which he “frequented casinos four to five times a week.”
But in their new response, prosecutors doubled down on their sentencing recommendation and said their research showed there was no evidence of a long-standing addiction other than Mizuhara’s “self-serving and uncorroborated statements to the psychologist he hired for the purposes of sentencing.”
“All defendants claim to be remorseful at the time of sentencing,” prosecutors wrote. “The question courts must answer is whether the defendant is truly remorseful or whether they are just sorry they were caught.”
Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael Freedman, declined to comment Thursday.
Prosecutors said the government’s investigation found “only minimal evidence” of Mizuhara’s past legal gambling, stating that investigators had looked at more than 30 casinos across the country and that “the only evidence found was defendant spending $200 at the Mirage casino during a weekend in 2008.”
Prosecutors attached a document containing a color photocopy of Mizuhara’s California driver’s license, along with spreadsheet images showing bets he placed at the Mirage.
Mizuhara registered for an account on FanDuel in 2018 but never placed a bet on the website, according to prosecutors. He began betting with DraftKings in 2023 after he “had already stolen millions of dollars from Mr. Ohtani,” the filing states.
Other exhibits showed Mizuhara placing bets ranging from $5 to $1,400 on NBA, NHL, soccer and college baseball games.
Prosecutors contend Mizuhara did not accumulate a “tremendous debt” that forced him to steal from Ohtani, as Mizuhara has claimed. At the time of the first fraudulent wire transfer from Ohtani’s bank account, for “a modest $40,000” in September 2021, Mizuhara had more than $34,000 in his checking account, prosecutors said.
“[Mizuhara] could have used his own money to pay the bookie but instead chose to steal from Mr. Ohtani,” prosecutors wrote.
They allege Mizuhara deposited money he received from his winnings from the bookie and DraftKings into his personal account and “had no intention of repaying Mr. Ohtani.”
In his filing to Holcomb, Mizuhara claimed that he “had to rent a place” near Ohtani and “paid hefty rent” where he ultimately settled in Newport Beach, California, while simultaneously paying rent for an apartment in Japan. He also stated in his filing that he was “living paycheck to paycheck.”
“But this is also not true,” prosecutors wrote in their filing, submitting bank statements as evidence showing “he was using Mr. Ohtani’s debit card to pay his rent” without Ohtani’s “knowledge or authorization.”
“He had no expenses,” the prosecutors continued. “He had no loans, car payments, or rent expenses,” noting Ohtani gave Mizuhara a Porsche to drive.
Mizuhara always had a “significant balance” in his checking account, prosecutors state, noting it was more than $30,000 in March 2023 and more than $195,000 in March 2024, when inquiries from ESPN led to his firing from the Dodgers and to Ohtani’s attorneys calling the wire transfers a “massive theft.”
Prosecutors also said Mizuhara turned down book and commercial deals in spite of Ohtani encouraging him “to accept the deals.” Mizuhara “did in fact write at least one book” — an illustrated children’s book about Ohtani, according to an exhibit.
Prosecutors concluded their filing by stating “a significant period of incarceration is necessary,” and reiterated their request for a sentence of 57 months in prison, three years supervised release, more than $16 million in restitution to Ohtani and $1.1 million to the IRS.
“There is no doubt” Mizuhara “feels ashamed from the international attention he received from his fraud schemes and web of lies,” the prosecutors wrote. “But instead of showing true remorse,” they allege, Mizuhara is trying to “justify stealing millions from Mr. Ohtani.”
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Mark Schlabach
Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and is expected to make a full recovery after doctors detected the disease in its early stages, the school announced Friday.
Freeze, 55, will continue coaching the Tigers while receiving treatment, Auburn officials said in a statement.
“Recently, Coach Freeze was diagnosed with an early form of prostate cancer,” the statement said. “Thankfully, it was detected early and his doctors have advised that it is very treatable and curable. He will continue his normal coaching duties and responsibilities, and with forthcoming proper treatment, is expected to make a full recovery.
“Coach Freeze is incredibly appreciative of our medical professionals and has asked that we use his experience as a reminder of the importance of prioritizing and scheduling annual health screenings.”
The Tigers are scheduled to start spring practice March 25.
Freeze’s teams went 11-14 (5-11 SEC) in his first two seasons, including a 5-7 campaign in 2024. With the additions of transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma), wide receivers Eric Singleton Jr. (Georgia Tech) and Horatio Fields (Wake Forest), offensive tackle Xavier Chaplin (Virginia Tech), and others, the Tigers are expected to be much improved this coming season.
At Liberty, Freeze coached from a hospital bed set up in the coaches’ box during the Flames’ 24-0 loss to Syracuse in his debut on Aug. 31, 2019. Freeze was recovering from surgery for a herniated disk in his back and a staph infection.
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Adam Rittenberg
Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler is leaving the school after six seasons to become quarterbacks coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Loeffler, 50, went 27-41 at Bowling Green but led the Falcons to bowl appearances in each of the past three seasons, posting a 16-10 record in MAC play during the span.
He will replace Doug Nussmeier, who left the Eagles with Kellen Moore to become the New Orleans Saints‘ offensive coordinator. Loeffler will work under new Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who had been the team’s passing game coordinator and associate head coach.
“Scot has been dedicated to not only BGSU Football, but to all our student-athletes and BGSU Athletics, as well as our Falcon Marching Band and spirit programs,” university president Rodney Rogers said in a statement. “He cares deeply about player development and student success, and we wish him all the best as he continues his coaching career in the NFL with the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles.”
Loeffler returns to the NFL for the first time since 2008, when he coached quarterbacks for the Detroit Lions. A former Michigan quarterback, Loeffler coached QBs at his alma mater from 2002 to 2007 and also with Central Michigan and Florida. He first became an offensive coordinator with Temple in 2011 and made coordinator stops with Auburn, Virginia Tech and Boston College before landing his first head-coaching opportunity at Bowling Green.
The coaching change means Bowling Green players now have a 30-day window to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The Falcons had already lost three All-MAC performers to the portal in December in running back Terion Stewart (Virginia Tech), offensive tackle Alex Wollschlaeger (Kentucky) and linebacker Joseph Sipp Jr. (Kansas). Bowling Green also is losing record-setting tight end Harold Fannin Jr. to the NFL draft.
Athletic director Derek van der Merwe will lead the search for Loeffler’s replacement. In a statement, Van der Merwe praised Loeffler for building “a very successful program in a challenging climate in collegiate sports.
“I am looking forward to this process of finding the next great leader for our program who embraces what it means to be a Falcon,” Van der Merwe added.
ESPN’s Max Olson contributed to this report.
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