Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, sent a letter to Judge John W. Holcomb, asking for leniency in his sentencing and outlining the reasons for his gambling issues. 

Mizuhara committed bank fraud and tax fraud as he stole nearly $17 million of Ohtani’s money to pay off gambling debts. 

Federal prosecutors asked for a 57-month prison sentence, while also asking Mizuhara to pay $16.9 million of restitution to Ohtani, and another $1.1 million to the IRS.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Mizuhara asked for an 18-month sentence in prison, while revealing the factors in his life that drove him to gamble, in his letter obtained by The Athletic.

Mizuhara said he has sacrificed his life and his family's lives since becoming Ohtani’s interpreter/manager in late 2017.

"Usually, when a Japanese baseball player makes the move to the United States, they would bring over multiple staff members to take care of various tasks, such as a driver, trainer, chef, off-the-field interpreter/support member, etc. However, I was the only person Shohei brought along," Mizuhara said in the letter.

"So naturally, I had to support him with most of the above-mentioned tasks. I drove him everywhere he needed to be, went on frequent grocery runs, ran random errands whenever he needed them, so I felt like I was on call 24/7."

SHOHEI OHTANI'S EX-INTERPRETER IMPERSONATED DODGERS STAR TO PUSH THROUGH 6-FIGURE WIRE TRANSFER, AUDIO REVEALS

Mizuhara said the busy baseball schedule, combined with the international time difference dealing with Ohtani’s management team in Japan, would keep him up late at night on the phone, causing him to lose sleep. 

Mizuhara said the offseason was more difficult than the baseball season, due to Ohtani’s demanding schedule.

"The offseason was much harder both physically and mentally. Shohei would train 5-6 times per week, and I was responsible for reserving the facility, setting up and cleaning up all of the practice equipment, filming and tracking all of his exercises, being his training partner (as it was just him and I during all of the offseason training), driving him back and forth, and communicating all of this back to the Angels and his personal pitching/hitting/rehabilitation people in the United States."

"I would also be running daily errands such as grocery shopping, checking his mailbox, fixing his bicycle, accompanying him when he went back to Iwate Prefecture to visit his family, taking his dog to the vet and groomer, dropping off and picking up his dinners with peers while I waited in the car, helping to coordinate Japanese and U.S. lawyers for his marriage prenup and attending meetings, etc."

In addition to those tasks, Mizuhara said he was responsible for communicating with the endorsement and brokerage companies to set up Ohtani’s commercial shoots. Those shoots were once per week in between offseason training, leaving Mizuhara with little time off. 

SHOHEI OHTANI'S FORMER INTERPRETER IPPEI MIZUHARA AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY TO FEDERAL BANK, TAX FRAUD CHARGES

With all the work he was doing for Ohtani, Mizuhara said he felt severely underpaid. Mizuhara said the Angels paid him $85,000 in 2018, $87,000 from 2019 to 2021, $99,611.16 in 2022, and $250,000 in 2023; but Ohtani paid him roughly $11,000 per year.

"I felt like I was getting severely underpaid, but I was afraid to speak up for myself, as I was on a one-year contract every year, and I didn’t want to upset them and risk being fired," Mizuhara said.

JAPANESE PHENOM ROKI SASAKI SAYS HE WANTS TO TRY AN 'AMERICAN HAMBURGER' AFTER SIGNING WITH THE DODGERS

Another challenge of working for Ohtani was that Mizuhara had to live close by to Ohtani, which meant he had to pay higher rent to have a place near him. 

"All of these extra expenses were taking a huge toll on me, and I was living paycheck to paycheck. There were months when I had to borrow money from family and friends to make ends meet."

Mizuhara said he had opportunities to help himself financially, "such as writing books, doing TV/radio interviews, and appearing in TV commercials, which would have helped me financially, but they were all shut down by Shohei and his company in Japan."

Among the salary, high demands of his job, and not being able to make any money for himself on the side, Mizuhara said he thought gambling might be an opportunity to help himself financially.

"Before I knew it, my gambling debt had grown so much that I couldn’t find any way to pay it off but by using Shohei’s money," Mizuhara said. "I felt terribly guilty about putting my hands on his money, but at the time, it seemed like the only solution."

Mizuhara can now only hope that Judge Holcomb can find some sympathy for him in his sentencing, with his side of the story now out there. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

A four-minute audio recording was disclosed by federal prosecutors Thursday that shows Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly attempting to push through a six-figure wire transfer from one of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ star’s accounts by impersonating him. 

Mizuhara has been convicted of defrauding Ohtani, the National League MVP and world baseball superstar, and the recording, obtained by The Athletic from the Department of Justice, is a key piece of evidence. 

It was mentioned in a court filing, which also had prosecutors recommending a nearly five-year sentence for Mizuhara and an order to repay Ohtani, according to The Athletic. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Mizuhara, who is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return after stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani, who he was best friends with for years, in June 2024. 

The recording was obtained from a bank, assistant U.S. attorney Jeff Mitchell told The Athletic, and it supports prosecutors’ claims that Mizuhara would call banks to arrange wire transfers. 

Prosecutors added that the recording was edited to redact bank names and the name of an "unindicated co-conspirator."

FORMER SHOHEI OHTANI INTERPRETER PLEADS GUILTY TO CHARGES IN SPORTS BETTING CASE

In the recording, Mizuhara clearly states his name is Ohtani after the bank agent asks, "Who am I speaking with?" Mizuhara bypassed the bank’s security measures and changed Ohtani’s account information to include his own email and phone number.

So, when the bank agent asks Mizuhara to perform a two-factor authentication using a six-digit code sent to a phone number, he can do so because it’s going to his phone instead of Ohtani’s. 

The recording shows Mizuhara matching the numbers, which allows the agent to work on his request, a car loan for $200,000.

"Now recently, we’ve come across a trend of fraud and scams, so we have been monitoring the online transactions closely to make sure our clients are not the victim of either," the agent says first. "What is the reason for this transaction?"

Then, the agent asks "Ohtani" what his relationship to the payee is, to which Mizuhara says, "He’s my friend."

"Have you met your friend in person"" the agent responds. 

"Yes, many times," Mizuhara answered. 

Mizuhara said he stole from Ohtani to cover "major gambling debt," which he said in a brief statement after pleading guilty. 

"I went ahead and wired money … with his bank account," Mizuhara said in the statement at the time. 

Prosecutors asked that the restitution amount bet set at nearly $17 million for Ohtani, though it was noted Mizuhara is unable to pay that back to the All-Star. Another $1.1 million in restitution is being sought by the IRS.

The ex-interpreter’s winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited into his own bank account and not Ohtani’s. His losing bets were around $183 million. He did not bet on baseball.

There is also no indication Ohtani bet on baseball. 

The Athletic reported the court filing says that, between December 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara placed around 19,000 bets online through Matthew Bowyer, his bookie who also pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business in August 2024.

Mizuhara’s debt was up to $40.7 million. 

"His years-long theft of funds from Mr. Ohtani and the myriad lies he told to Mr. Ohtani’s agents and financial advisors to cover up his theft represent a calculated betrayal of the very person he was hired to help," Mitchell wrote in the court filing. 

"To summarize how I’m feeling right now, I’m just beyond shocked," Ohtani said in a statement on the matter last year. "It’s really hard to verbalize how I’m feeling at this point.

"I’m very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this."

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Coveted Japanese-born pitcher Roki Sasaki is headed to the Los Angeles Dodgers. On Friday, the 23-year-old announced he had signed a minor league contract with the organization.

Roki's arrival in Los Angeles cements the city and the baseball franchise as the preferred MLB destination for the top players in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Sasaki is the latest pitching sensation to pick the reigning World Series champions. The team lured pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and fellow pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto last offseason.

In the hours since Sasaki made his decision public, baseball players across the big leagues have shared their reactions to the move. However, San Francisco Giants pitcher Logan Webb's apparent reaction to the news is one that stood out.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

The All-Star right-hander took to X on Friday and posted a GIF from "Space Jam." The post featured a clip of Monstars team along with the caption, "Time to play a little basketball." 

In the film, the Monstars were made up of a group who stole the talents of NBA players to effectively become a powerful super team.

WHO IS RŌKI SASAKI? WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE JAPANESE PITCHING SENSATION BOUND FOR MLB

The live-action and animated sports film was released in 1996 and starred Michael Jordan and several other NBA stars.

The Dodgers signed Ohtani to a historic 10-year, $700 million contract in Dec. 2023. While his recovery from an injury prevented him from taking the pitching mound in 2024, Ohtani hit a career-best 54 home runs en route to earning his third MVP award.

If Ohtani retakes the pitching mound at some point in 2025, he would be part of arguably the deepest and most formidable pitching rotation in the major leagues. The Dodgers' projected pitching rotation already features Yamamoto, Dustin May, Tyler Glasnow, Tony Gonsolin, and Clayton Kershaw. Gonsolin and May did not throw a pitch in MLB last season due to injury, and hey will likely have to be eased back into the rotation.

 Blake Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, also signed with LA earlier this offseason.

LA lured first baseman Freddie Freeman away from the Atlanta Braves in 2022. Freeman had already won one National League MVP award and a World Series title with Atlanta before he signed with the Dodgers. LA's lineup also includes 2019 American League MVP Mookie Betts and a host of other star hitters.

Sasaki posted a 2.02 ERA over his four seasons playing at the highest level of baseball in Japan. His fastball routinely reaches 100 mph. He can also throw an impressive splitter, which bolsters his potential to be an ace in a pitching rotation.

He played alongside Ohtani and Yamamoto during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. 

A long list of MLB clubs submitted information about their respective organizations to Saski and his representing agency in December during baseball's winter meetings. By January, Sasaski narrowed down his choices to the Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres — ultimately picking Los Angeles.

Webb's Giants also had a busy offseason, acquiring star shortstop Willy Adames and veteran pitcher Justin Verlander in free agency. San Francisco competes in the NL West and missed the playoffs last season. The Giants will have to contend with what is projected to be one of the best divisions in the MLB in 2025.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Shohei Ohtani's 2024 is ending on a high note, which is pretty impressive, considering how amazing a year it's been.

This year marked the first of the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar's ten-year, $700 million deal (where 98% of it is deferred), and he is living up to it.

Ohtani, who didn't pitch due to recovering from elbow surgery, became the first person to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, en route to winning his third MVP Award in the last four seasons.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Personally, he underwhelmed in the postseason, but his Dodgers did defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series.

Now, with just days left in the year, Ohtani announced that he is set to become a father.

Ohtani posted a photo on Instagram of his now famous dog, Decoy, lying beside a onesie and shoes, along with a sonogram. The gender of the baby was not revealed, as the onsite was pink and the shoes were blue, but Ohtani did appear to use a boy emoji to cover up the sonogram photo.

"Can't wait for the little rookie to join our family soon!" Ohtani captioned the post.

Back in February, Ohtani revealed that he was married to a "normal Japanese woman" named Mamiko, but he did not reveal when that occurred.

ATHLETICS PRESIDENT DAVE KAVAL TO RESIGN AFTER HEADING TEAM'S UNPOPULAR MOVE TO LAS VEGAS

"I felt like it was good timing because it was before the season," he added. "I didn’t really want any distractions once the season started. I would have liked to announce it earlier, but there were some paperwork issues that (delayed) the whole process."

There are reports that AL MVP Aaron Judge and his wife will also soon welcome their first child.

Ohtani's 134 runs scored and 411 total bases were the most in the majors, and he led the National League in home runs (54), RBIs (130), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (646) and a 9.2 bWAR. 

His .310 average in the NL was second behind only Luis Arráez's .314, and his 59 stolen bases trailed only Elly De La Cruz, who swiped five more bags.

Ohtani won the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023 as a member of the crosstown Angels while finishing second to Judge in 2022. He is one of just 12 players to be named an MVP three times.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.