Shohei Ohtani has allegedly been the victim of “massive theft” of millions of dollars.
Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter Accused of “Massive” Theft
Ohtani’s legal team has reportedly accused his now former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, of stealing funds from the Dodgers star with an allegedly illegal bookmaker under federal investigation. The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly fired Mizuhara. Mizuhara was in South Korea for the Seoul Series on Wednesday and has been working with Ohtani since 2018.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Ohtani’s name surfaced in the investigation of Orange County resident Mathew Bowyer. This led Ohtani’s team to look into the matter and discover the alleged theft by Mizuhara to bet with Bowyer. Sources told ESPN that at least $4.5 million in wire transfers were sent from Ohtani’s bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation. Initially, a spokesperson for Ohtani told ESPN that he transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debt. The spokesperson arranged an interview between Mizuhara and ESPN on Tuesday but later said Ohtani’s legal team would issue a statement.
In a statement, the West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler, said, “In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.”
Shohei Ohtani’s Legal Team Accuses Interpreter of “Massive Theft”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles oversees the investigation into Mathew Bowyer, but Bowyer hasn’t been charged with a crime. Bowyer’s attorney told the media that Bowyer never had contact with Ohtani. According to ESPN, Mizuhara placed bets on international soccer matches and other sports -—but not baseball—starting in 2021. Bowyer was allegedly aware of the name on the wire transfers but “chose not to ask any questions” as long as payments came in. However, sources told ESPN that Bowyer allowed people to believe Ohtani was a client boost business.
Mizuhara told ESPN on Tuesday that he asked Ohtani to pay off his gambling debt last year. He said he had previously made bets on DraftKings and assumed that bets placed with Bowyer were legal. Ohtani wasn’t happy about Mizuhara’s gambling debts but decided to pay it off for him so he didn’t do it again. Two wire payments of $500,000 were allegedly sent to an associate of Bowyer from Ohtani’s account. Multiple sources have said that Ohtani doesn’t gamble and that the funds covered Mizuhara’s losses.
“I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.”
On Wednesday, Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts and had not transferred money to the bookmaker’s associate. Major League Baseball prohibits “any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee” from betting on baseball or making bets on any sport illegally.
Shohei Ohtani signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December. The two-way phenom is now the highest-paid player in North American history.
Main Photo Credits: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
