Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, did not report to prison to serve his 57-month sentence Monday, as originally ordered by a judge.
According to the Bureau of Prisons inmate database, Mizuhara was not in custody as of Monday night. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California confirmed that Mizuhara's surrender date, which was March 24, was pushed back but did not provide any additional details. The new date, as well as the reason for the delay, are under court seal and not available for public review.
Mizuhara's attorney, Michael G. Freedman, did not respond to ESPN's request for comment. The delay was first reported by NBC Los Angeles.
Mizuhara was sentenced to nearly five years in prison in February for stealing about $17 million from Ohtani. The Dodgers fired Mizuhara in March 2024 after an ESPN investigation revealed that he had sent millions in wire transfers from Ohtani's account to an illegal bookmaker. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return, admitting that he placed about 19,000 bets with the bookie over a two-year period and accumulated over $40 million in debt.
