A nearly four-minute audio recording allegedly captured Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara impersonating the baseball star on a call with a bank as he attempted to transfer $200,000 for what he describes as a car loan, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
The recording referenced in a court filing and obtained by the Associated Press is being used to back up prosecutors’ push for a nearly five-year sentence for Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing almost $17m from the Los Angeles Dodgers star.
Prosecutors are also seeking restitution of the nearly $17m to Ohtani, as well as a penalty of more than $1m to the IRS. Mizuhara is due to be sentenced on 6 February after pleading guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return.
His attorney, Michael G Freedman, did not respond to an email from the Associated Press requesting comment. In the recording, a man is heard identifying himself as Ohtani and saying that he tried to log into online banking but it wasn’t available. He later confirms that the transaction amount is $200,000.
When the woman from the bank asks him the reason for the transaction, he says it’s for a car loan. “What is your relationship to the payee?” she asks. “Um, he’s my friend,” the man responds. The recording was obtained from the bank, according to assistant US attorney Jeff Mitchell. It’s unclear when it was made.
