Shohei Ohtani’s first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers began with a scandal as his then-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was found to be involved in an illegal sports betting investigation.
Mizuhara’s public accounts were inconsistent as news of his gambling went public, but he offered a true account to Ohtani and the Dodgers clubhouse following their Opening Day game in Seoul, South Korea. The Dodgers promptly fired Mizuhara and went on to play the 2024 season with his gambling scandal hovering in some regard.
It was revealed that Mizuhara stole more than $15 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts before getting arrested by federal authorities.
Last June, Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges. He faced a sentencing date in October, but it twice was delayed.
As Mizuhara faces sentencing, Ohtani petitioned a federal judge for ownership of $325,000 worth of baseball cards that had been fraudulently purchased by Mizuhara. Ohtani’s request was granted and are part of the current proceedings.
Ippei Mizuhara recording
During a hearing on Thursday, federal prosecutors played an audio recording of Mizuhara impersonating Ohtani during a phone conversation with a bank official. The clip, nearly four minutes in length, was obtained by The Athletic.
On the call, Mizuhara states his name as “Shohei Ohtani” and claims a $200,000 wire transfer is being approved for a friend to purchase a car.
A federal investigation found that Mizuhara had full access to Ohtani’s bank accounts and stole money without the superstar’s knowledge at any point.
Ohtani was cleared by federal investigators and as part of an MLB investigation. Mizuhara served as Ohtani’s interpreter during his entire tenure with the Los Angeles Angels.
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