At least $1 million in wire transfers were sent from Ohtani’s bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation in the fall of 2023. But the story isn’t that simple.
The Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday fired superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter and close friend Ippei Mizuhara following reports from The Los Angeles Times and ESPN about Mizuhara’s alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker.
At least $1 million in wire transfers were sent from Ohtani’s bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation in the fall of 2023. Reporters began asking questions about the wire transfers, and the probes resulted in Mizuhara’s firing. But the full story isn’t so simple.
On Tuesday, Ohtani’s spokesman told ESPN that Ohtani transferred the funds to cover his friend’s gambling debt. The spokesman then made Mizuhara available for an interview. When ESPN reached out to Ohtani’s camp Wednesday to comment, Ohtani’s spokesman contacted the pitcher’s lawyers, who then walked back Mizuhara’s account. By the end of the day Wednesday, Mizuhara had also recanted parts of his account — and been fired by the Dodgers.
The order of events isn’t crystal clear, but what is evident is that on Tuesday, Ohtani’s camp said the player was helping Mizuhara with his gambling debts, and on Wednesday, the same people said someone had stolen money from Ohtani.
So what really happened? Here’s what we know so far.What are the allegations against Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter?
Sports betting is still illegal in California. Mizuhara allegedly racked up gambling debts with a Southern California bookmaking operation that is under federal investigation, according to ESPN.
A spokesman for Ohtani initially told ESPN that Ohtani had transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debt. The spokesman arranged an interview with Mizuhara for ESPN Tuesday night, during which Mizuhara corroborated the spokesman’s story.
But before ESPN published its piece, the spokesman rebutted Mizuhara’s account. Ohtani’s lawyers, from Berk Brettler LLP, issued a statement: “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.”
After the statement came out, ESPN asked Mizuhara if he had been accused of theft and he said he could not comment — but did not say who told him he could not.With whom were bets allegedly placed?
Federal investigators are examining an operation run by Southern California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. The payments in Ohtani’s name were reportedly sent from Ohtani’s account to an associate of Bowyer’s.
