The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the situation, that a former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is in talks to enter a guilty plea to federal offenses pertaining to claims he stole millions from Ohtani and spent them for gambling.
Ippei Mizuhara was sacked last month following accusations from Ohtani’s attorneys that he had gambled with a federally under investigation bookmaker and stolen from Ohtani. Subsequently, Ohtani claimed that Mizuhara had taken the funds from one of his bank accounts.
According to three persons with knowledge of the case who spoke to the New York Times, prosecutors now think that Mizuhara may have taken more money from Ohtani than the $4.5 million that Mizuhara was first suspected of stealing.
According to the New York Times, which cited three persons with knowledge of the case, law enforcement investigators think they have proof that Mizuhara was able to alter the settings on Ohtani’s bank accounts, preventing Ohtani from receiving alerts and confirmation on the transactions.
Ohtani has refuted any knowledge of the controversy. Michael Freedman, the lawyer for Mizuhara, told CNN on Wednesday that “we do not have any comment at this time.”
After the March game, Ohtani alleges he found out the translator owed money on gambling
Ohtani stated on March 25 that he was made aware of the problem on March 20, the day the Los Angeles Times and ESPN allegations would surface. On that day, the Dodgers conducted a discussion in the clubhouse following their first game in South Korea. Ohtani claimed that despite not having a “translator on my side” and that the team meeting was conducted in English, he sensed a problem.
He claimed that he and Mizuhara had a one-on-one meeting at the club’s hotel. Ohtani claimed that prior to that point, he was unaware of Mizuhara’s debt and gambling addiction.
As of March 25, Ohtani,
“When we talked … that was when I found out he had a massive debt,” “Ippei (Mizuhara) admitted that he was sending money from my account to the bookmaker.”
According to the celebrity, the translator had informed the press and Ohtani’s agents that the player had settled gambling debts on behalf of a pal. Ohtani claimed he was unaware of the questions from the media.
IRS spokesperson Scott Villiard told CNN on March 22 that the Los Angeles Field Office of the IRS Criminal Investigation is looking into both Mizuhara and former bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who lives in California.
Although Bowyer did business with Mizuhara, his lawyer claimed he never met Ohtani or had “any direct contact” with him.