Lawyers for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani accused his interpreter of engaging in a “massive theft” of the slugger’s funds to use in bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who has been targeted in a federal investigation.
According to Gustavo Arellano, Nathan Fenno, Adam Elmahrek and Paul Pringle of the L.A. Times, the Dodgers fired the interpreter on Wednesday following the allegation.
The L.A. Times discovered that Ohtani’s name surfaced in the investigation of Orange County resident Matthew Bowyer, which prompted his representatives to look into the actions of the interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Two sources said the money involved in the theft is “in the millions of dollars.”
“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,” West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler said in a statement.
According to ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, Mizuhara “placed bets on international soccer matches and other sports—but not baseball—starting in 2021” and his gambling debts reached as much as $4.5 million.
“I’m terrible [at gambling]. Never going to do it again. Never won any money,” Mizuhara told Thompson. “I mean, I dug myself a hole and it kept on getting bigger, and it meant I had to bet bigger to get out of it and just kept on losing. It’s like a snowball effect.”
“I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting,” Mizuhara told ESPN. “I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.”
Mizuhara had served as Ohtani’s interpreter since he arrived in MLB with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018. He had previously served as the interpreter for pitcher Hideki Okajima when he played for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 to 2011.
The revelation of Mizuhara’s theft comes after Ohtani signed a historic 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers this winter. Ohtani, who is with the Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea, for their season-opening series against the San Diego Padres, couldn’t be reached for comment.
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