Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers interpreter was sacked Wednesday afternoon after an investigation into at least $4.5 million in bank account wire payments to a bookmaking company.ESPN sources said Ohtani's interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, owed a federally investigated Southern California bookmaker. He lost his job after reporters questioned wire transactions.
Ohtani's rep informed ESPN he paid Mizuhara's gambling obligation. Mizuhara made his case in a 90-minute ESPN interview Tuesday night. The insider refuted Mizuhara's assertion and claimed Ohtani's lawyers will reply before ESPN's Wednesday report.
"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," Berk Brettler stated in a note.The representative skipped questions and didn't identify the thief.
MIzuhara told ESPN on Wednesday afternoon that he could not reply to the Berk Brettler charge if he had been accused of stealing, but he did not specify by whom.
The FBI finished investigating Southern California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer this week. Bank records showed Ohtani wired Bowyer's associate money, according to ESPN. Mizuhara and other sources told ESPN that Ohtani does not gamble and the money covered her losses.
ESPN checked Ohtani's bank records for two September and October $500,000 payments.Not like California, 40+ states allow sports betting. Illicit sportsbooks take credit bets, whereas government-regulated ones require advance payment.
Bowyer and Mizuhara gambled on international soccer and other sports in 2021, not baseball. A source claimed Bowyer knew the wire transfer identity but didn't ask questions as long as payments flowed in, making Ohtani appear to be a customer to increase revenue.ESPN lawyer Diane Bass said "Mr. Bowyer never met or spoke with Shohei Ohtani." She declined more queries.
Various reports indicate Mizuhara, 39, advised Ohtani, 29, to pay off his $4.5 million gambling debt last year. Mizuhara bet Bowyer following DraftKings.Ohtani was upset and offered to help me avoid this "said. I got paid.
Shohei never wagers. I was unaware that was unlawful. I learned the hard way. No more sports betting."Mizuhara told ESPN on Wednesday afternoon that Ohtani was unaware of his gambling commitments and had not paid the bookmaker's accomplice.
Ohtani and Mizuhara collaborated. Mizuhara has thrilled baseball fans by interpreting for Ohtani in dugouts, locker rooms, player lounges, excursions, media, and other places since 2018. He examines game scouting reports and interprets for Ohtani with coaches and managers. Combining them is common. Mizuhara sprints, carries his water bottle, and is so present that one Ohtani teammate called them "brotherhood" beyond friendship.
He joined the Dodgers this offseason after playing with Ohtani for the Angels. Mizuhara earned $300–$500,000, per ESPN.Mizuhara told ESPN Tuesday he bets on international soccer, NBA, NFL, and college football.
"I never gamble on baseball," Mizuhara stated. 100%. I knew that rule... We talk about that in spring training."Without illegal bookmakers or offshore websites, MLB players can gamble on non-baseball sports. The commission can punish unlicensed bookmaker bets under league rules.
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