The scandal involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has taken a new turn with shocking revelations about the alleged theft of Ohtani’s money. According to a report from ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, the scandal involved illegal gambling activities that saw millions of dollars being funneled from Ohtani’s bank account to cover gambling losses.
The man at the center of the scandal, Mathew Bowyer, was reportedly under investigation by federal authorities for his involvement in an illegal gambling ring. Ohtani’s bank information was discovered among the payments to Bowyer, leading to the uncovering of the scheme.
Mizuhara allegedly funneled weekly payments of $500,000 from Ohtani’s account to an associate of Bowyer’s, who used the money to cover gambling losses at casinos in Las Vegas and California. Bowyer reportedly lost $7.9 million at one casino during the time he was receiving money from Mizuhara.
The scandal is part of a larger trend in the gambling world, with illegal bookies in Southern California using Las Vegas casinos to launder money. Twelve people have been charged and convicted in connection to the scheme, with two Vegas casinos agreeing to pay fines.
Despite the scandal, Ohtani, the Dodgers, and MLB have moved on from the situation. Mizuhara has turned himself in on a federal charge of bank fraud and is cooperating with prosecutors. While negotiations for a deal are ongoing, Ohtani is focusing on baseball while Mizuhara deals with the legal consequences of his actions.