Shohei Ohtani’s high-profile debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers was overshadowed Wednesday by an off-field scandal – the firing of his interpreter who was accused of stealing millions from the superstar pitcher/slugger to fund a gambling addiction.
Ohtani’s legal team accused interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of “massive theft” tied to betting with an illegal bookmaker currently under federal investigation, according to reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN. While light on specifics, Ohtani’s lawyers claim Mizuhara transferred millions from the baseball phenom’s accounts to cover gambling debts.
The law firm representing the athlete stated:
“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.”
The shocking allegations erupted just as Shohei Ohtani played his first game for the Dodgers, who had signed him to a record-breaking $700 million contract after his departure from the Los Angeles Angels. Mizuhara was spotted translating for Ohtani in Seoul, South Korea during the Dodgers’ season-opening victory before being abruptly fired later that day.
But in a bizarre twist, both Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani’s camp initially provided conflicting accounts to ESPN about whether the two-way star was aware of the interpreter’s gambling issues and had willingly covered his debts.
According to ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, Ohtani’s spokesperson first claimed the player had transferred funds to help pay off Mizuhara’s betting losses. Mizuhara himself then told the network Ohtani knew about the debts, but was unhappy and only agreed to pay them reluctantly.
However, after ESPN prepared to publish their initial report, Ohtani’s representatives completely “disavowed” Mizuhara’s version and accused him of stealing from the player.
The former interpreter has since admitted he lied about Ohtani’s knowledge of his gambling issues, according to Thompson. The interpreter now claims Ohtani was unaware and made no payments towards his debts.
The Internal Revenue Service confirmed to CNN that it is investigating Ippei Mizuhara and an associate, Matthew Bowyer, over the alleged theft and gambling connections. Precisely how much money may have been taken remains unclear.
