Former Otani Interpreter Earning 680 Million Won Annually... Spotted Recently Working as a Food Delivery Person

It has been reported that former interpreter Mizuhara Ippei, who was indicted for using the bank account of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) to repay gambling debts, has started working as a food delivery person in the United States.

Mizuhara Ippei, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter for food delivery in the United States.
[Image source=New York Post]

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On the 6th (local time), the New York Post revealed Mizuhara working as a delivery person through a smartphone application in the U.S., reporting, "Mizuhara was spotted delivering food ordered via UberEATS in Los Angeles, California." In the photos released by the media, Mizuhara was dressed comfortably in shorts, a hoodie, and a cap. He was seen sitting in front of a Vietnamese restaurant waiting for the food to be prepared, then delivering it to a house.

At the LA Dodgers press conference held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, interpreter Mizuhara Ippei (left) seated next to Shohei Ohtani (right).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Mizuhara, who served as an interpreter for foreign players at the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japanese professional baseball, developed a close friendship with Ohtani and later played the role of his "mouth and ears" by assisting with Ohtani's transition to the U.S. However, he left the baseball world after allegations of illegal gambling and theft surfaced during the MLB Seoul Series held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul last March.

Although Mizuhara earned an annual salary of $300,000 to $500,000 (approximately 410 million to 680 million KRW) and lived a financially comfortable life, U.S. prosecutors revealed that he withdrew about $17 million (approximately 23.26 billion KRW) from Ohtani’s bank account to repay sports gambling debts and transferred the money to a gambler’s account. He changed the email address and phone number registered with the bank for Ohtani’s account so that when the bank approved transfers, they would call him instead of Ohtani. Additionally, he impersonated Ohtani 24 times during calls with bank employees using Ohtani’s personal information.

Admitting to the crime, Mizuhara agreed to return the $17 million to Ohtani and pay $1,149,400 (approximately 1.573 billion KRW) in taxes, interest, and fines to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Mizuhara is also reportedly facing a possible sentence of up to 33 years in prison. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 25.

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