Major League Baseball has announced that they have begun an investigation into the activities of Shohei Ohtani’s friend and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
Reports have emerged of approximately $4.5 million in wire transfers from Ohtani’s bank account, which was allegedly used to pay off Mizuhara’s gambling debts.
The league says its Department of Investigations “began their formal process to investigate the matter” earlier on Friday.
Earlier on Friday, new details emerged in the ongoing saga between Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mizuhara.
Ohtani’s representatives say they have filed an accusation with the police to open an investigation.
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara (L), is now under investigation by the MLB
In an interview with ESPN, Mizuhara says Ohtani helped him pay off $4.5 million in gambling debts he accrued during an illegal gambling operation via a wire transfer.
But sources told ESPN that neither the Los Angeles Police Department, prosecutors in Los Angeles County or Orange County, the California Bureau of Investigation, nor the FBI were working on the case. ESPN said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California declined to comment.
ESPN published an updated timeline of events, showing that they had been following a tip for months before finally being able to ask questions about it on Monday while Ohtani was with the Dodgers in South Korea.
After attempting to contact Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, ESPN reporters were later contacted by a crisis communications spokesperson recently hired by the outfielder.
That spokesperson says Ohtani paid off Mizuhara’s debts and that Balelo spoke to the interpreter – who came clean. The spokesperson then quoted Ohtani as saying, “Yes, I have sent several large payments. That’s the maximum amount I could send.’
Mizuhara then spoke one-on-one with an ESPN reporter for about an hour and a half, explaining how he started meeting and gambling with Mathew Bowyer, whose illegal gaming operation is how this came to light.
The interpreter claimed he was unaware that Bowyer’s operation was illegal – and that his debt had risen to $4 million by early 2023. At that point, he said he went to Ohtani for help, explained his situation and that Ohtani “said he would help.” me’.
Mizuhara was asked whether Ohtani – who has been outspoken against gambling – knew he was in debt to a bookmaker, to which the interpreter replied that Ohtani “had no idea.”
After Ohtani sent the money, Mizuhara told ESPN that he promised he would eventually send his friend all the money back.
But when confronted, Mizuhara admitted that he had lied in his previous interview and to Ohtani
Ohtani did not know until Wednesday that the money had been withdrawn from his accounts
The Dodgers opened their season in Seoul – with a 5-2 victory over the Padres. After that game, Dodgers officials explained the situation to the clubhouse, saying Ohtani helped cover Mizuhara’s losses and that the story would quickly make its way to the press.
But Ohtani began questioning what was said and told his representatives that he did not recognize Mizuhara’s account of events.
Dodgers officials and Ohtani’s spokesman said they trusted Mizuhara to communicate with Ohtani as they handled the situation – and that Mizuhara did not tell Ohtani what was happening. It was that Wednesday that Ohtani claimed he first discovered money was missing from his account.
With information from Ohtani’s camp claiming that “Ippei is lying,” ESPN waited for an explanation. Eventually, Ohtani’s lawyers stepped in to say that Shohei had “been the victim of a massive theft and we have contacted the authorities.” Mizuhara is subsequently fired shortly after the statement is released.
ESPN caught up with Mizuhara again, where he admitted to lying in his previous interview. He denies on the phone that he is represented by Ohtani’s people, that he is not paid to say this and that he has not made any appointments. He confirms that he lied to Shohei and denies that he bet on baseball.
When asked by ESPN, “Did you take the money from Shohei’s accounts without his knowledge?”, Mizuhara does not answer.
Ohtani’s spokespeople say Mizuhara was able to control the information relayed to him through his position as translator – and that Ohtani had not realized what was happening until the post-match clubhouse meeting, when a new interpreter was brought in. was turned on.