The baseball world was rocked by a scandal involving Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who is now facing up to 30 years in prison for allegedly stealing millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers star. The criminal complaint released by the U.S. government revealed shocking details about Mizuhara’s alleged crimes and the extent of his control over Ohtani’s finances.
One of the most surprising revelations from the complaint was that Mizuhara’s gambling losses totaled more than $40 million. He allegedly made thousands of bets with an illegal bookie, averaging nearly 25 bets per day, resulting in a net loss of over $40 million. Mizuhara frequently requested credit limit increases to cover his losses, showing signs of a severe gambling addiction.
Additionally, Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani on the phone to hide alleged bank fraud, using his position as Ohtani’s interpreter to gain control over his finances. He reportedly made deposits and wire transfers from Ohtani’s account, pretending to be Ohtani in conversations with bank employees.
Furthermore, Mizuhara used Ohtani’s money to buy over $325,000 worth of baseball cards, which he intended to resell. The complaint also revealed that Mizuhara’s bookie followed Ohtani and his dog, threatening to approach Ohtani to get Mizuhara’s contact information.
The scandal also exposed the lack of oversight by Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, who communicated with Ohtani only through Mizuhara. Balelo reportedly never talked to Ohtani directly and trusted Mizuhara with Ohtani’s finances, despite red flags raised by financial managers and advisers.
In a final twist, Mizuhara admitted to his bookie that he had indeed stolen from Ohtani, acknowledging that “it’s all over for me.” The shocking details of the criminal complaint against Mizuhara have left the baseball world reeling and raised questions about the oversight of athlete finances in professional sports.