Yesterday afternoon, the Los Angeles Dodgers fired Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter after questions surrounding $4.5 million in wire transfers from Ohtani’s account to a bookmaking operation arose.
The Dodgers fired interpreter Ippei Mizuhara after Ohtani's lawyers accused Mizuhara of "massive theft," via multiple reports. pic.twitter.com/RgNvD35BJw
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 20, 2024
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ recent roster addition, Shohei Ohtani, is longtime friends with his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, as the two were with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2013-2017, and Mizuhara followed Ohtani to the Los Angeles Angels to continue interpreting for the Japanese star.
The Angels signed a contract with the interpreter when Ohtani joined the team in 2018, and this past offseason, the Dodgers signed Mizuhara for a contract between $300,000 to $500,000 annual salary following the recent addition of Ohtani on December 11, 2023.
The 29-year-old became an unrestricted free agent on November 6, 2023, and immediately became the most sought-after player in the history of the MLB free agency period. After months of baseball fans speculating where the Japanese sensation would sign, Ohtani signed a lucrative 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles franchise.
Before firing Mizuhara on Wednesday, the interpreter had gone back and forth with his story and what allegedly occurred. Initially, a spokesperson for Ohtani stated that the pitcher had transferred money to a bookmaking operation to cover his longtime friend’s sports betting debts.
The 29-year-old’s spokesperson set up a 90-minute interview with ESPN on Tuesday night, where Mizuhara could set the record straight and answer any imperative questions. Before publishing the interview yesterday, Ohtani’s spokesperson intervened and stated that the Japanese sensation’s lawyers would issue a statement in the interim.
In the statement, Shohei’s lawyers alleged that the Dodgers’ star was a victim of massive theft and that the situation as a whole was being handed to the authorities.
Initially, Mizuhara had stated that Ohtani had made wire transfer payments on his interpreter’s behalf to pay off betting debts to California bookmaker Matthew Bowyer. When asked why Ohtani did not transfer money directly to his interpreter to pay off the debt, Mizuhara stated that the 29-year-old was worried his friend would continue using the money for gambling.
Throughout the past few days, multiple sources stated and reaffirmed that Shohei does not engage in gambling and that the wire transfers were solely to help pay off his friend’s debt.
These allegations regarding Ohtani’s $4.5 million in wire transfers arose after the federal government conducted an investigation into the Southern California bookmaking operation.
Sports betting is legal in 38 states but remains illegal in California. Mizuhara stated he was unaware he was indulging in an unlawful activity as he was betting on international soccer, the NFL, college football, and the NBA.
The interpreter knew it was illegal for him and all MLB players to bet on the MLB itself but was unaware he was engaging in an illegal bookmaking operation. Mizuhara acknowledged that he had bet through DraftKings before and believed Bowyer’s bookmaking operation was legal.
To bet on sports legally in the United States, government-regulated bookmakers require an upfront payment from betters, whereas illegal bookmaking operations allow betters to take a credit line.
Mizuhara stated that he began betting on games and continuously lost money, encouraging him to place larger bets with hopes of covering his debts. Instead, the interpreter continued to spiral down the rabbit hole, amassing a significant amount of debt.
Mizuhara mentioned that Ohtani was displeased with his longtime friend but was willing to pay off the debt to ensure he no longer engages in illegal sports betting.
On Tuesday, the interpreter constantly reassured outlets that Ohtani was not involved in sports betting and that Mizuhara was unaware that he was engaging in an illegal operation.
Wednesday afternoon, Mizuhara retracted much of his story and stated that Ohtani had no knowledge of this illegal activity and that the Japanese sensation did not wire money to the bookmaking operation on behalf of his interpreter.
When an ESPN reporter asked Ohtani about this illegal betting scheme, his attorneys stated that the MLB star was the victim of “massive theft.”
Representatives of Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday accused his interpreter of engaging in a “massive theft” of the player’s funds to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation.
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 20, 2024
Read more: https://t.co/wX8yazPFAN pic.twitter.com/ybPwNG9sTI
With the details of the situation still unfolding, the matter has been turned over to the authorities. Many details of the story do not add up, but perhaps much of what Mizuhara said was a cover-up for himself, and his longtime friend Ohtani is the victim of $4.5 million in theft.
