Shohei Ohtani Didn’t Question Interpreter’s Gambling Habit Until Wednesday, Report Says
New details in the saga of Ippei Mizuhara, and the alleged theft of $4.5 million from Shohei Ohtani in connection with his former interpreter’s gambling habit, paint Ohtani as an aloof bystander and victim of his closest companion in baseball.
According to ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, when Mizuhara addressed the Dodgers’ clubhouse after Wednesday’s regular-season opener in Seoul, South Korea, it was the first time Ohtani learned of his personal connection to Mizuhara’s gambling debt.
On Thursday, a source close to Ohtani gave an explanation for the changing storylines: As Ohtani’s handlers tried to determine what had happened, they initially relied solely on Mizuhara, who continued to translate for Ohtani.
– via ESPN
After Wednesday’s season-opening game in South Korea, Dodgers officials called a clubhouse meeting and told players a negative story was coming later in the day, a team official said, and Mizuhara apologized, saying he had a gambling addiction. It was then, the official said, that Ohtani understood for the first time what was happening and began asking questions.
After Mizuhara’s reveal, Ohtani’s representatives contacted law enforcement authorities and asked them to investigate a “massive theft,” according to ESPN. The Dodgers fired Mizuhara after the late-night revelation. Ohtani is not currently facing any discipline from Major League Baseball.
Initially, Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani saw him make transfers from Ohtani’s bank account to an alleged illegal bookmaking operation run by Mathew Bowyer. If that were true, Ohtani could potentially be exposed to legal liability.
According to Craig Calcaterra, a sportswriter and legal expert,
It is illegal to gamble on sports in California. There are likewise multiple federal laws which make it illegal to wire money to an unlicensed sports gambling operation, including The Wire Act, the Illegal Gambling Business Act, the Travel Act, and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.
— via Craig Calcaterra
Ostensibly, Ohtani has told his representatives a story that contradicts Mizuhara’s initial account to ESPN which laid out — “in great detail” — how Ohtani “sat with him and the two transferred the money in $500,000 increments in several different settings.”
Was Ohtani the unwitting victim of theft at the hands of his friend and interpreter? Or was he complicit in transferring money to help cover Mizuhara’s gambling losses? Both can’t be true, and the facts are only beginning to come to light.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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There is no way for anyone not knowing $4.5 million went missing in their bank account. Shohei knew it all along, I’m sure he did it out of good intentions to help his friend. He just didn’t know the gambling laws back then and didn’t know the legal repercussion would be so severe.