Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter fired amid ‘massive theft’ allegations
March 21, 2024
The interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers’ star Shohei Ohtani was fired amid accusations of “massive theft” linked to gambling.
Key points:
- Ippei Mizuhara, the 39-year-old MLB interpreter and longtime associate of Ohtani, is linked to an investigation involving $4.5 million from the baseball player’s bank account being allegedly wired to a bookie, identified as Mathew Bowyer of Orange County, for illegal gambling activities.
The details:
- Initially, Mizuhara, who worked with the two-way superstar from 2013 to 2017 in Japan and later in Los Angeles, suggested that Ohtani was covering his gambling debts. Later, however, Ohtani’s lawyers clarified that he was not. His legal team accused Mizuhara of stealing millions of dollars and placing bets with a bookmaker under investigation.
- “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,” Ohtani’s law firm, Berk Brettler LLP, told CNN.
- After the revelation, Mizuhara retracted his statement, asserting that Ohtani had no knowledge or involvement in the gambling activities nor his efforts to repay the debt.
- On Wednesday afternoon, Mizuhara was terminated following his translation duties for the star in the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ 5-2 victory against the San Diego Padres in the MLB season-opening game in Seoul.
- This issue comes after the two-time American League MVP signed a historic 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers in the offseason. The investigation remains ongoing, with no official comments from MLB, Ohtani’s agent, the Dodgers or law enforcement agencies.
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