ROBBED: Shohei Ohtani Interpreter STOLE $16 Million From Him, According to Feds

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara has been charged in federal court in Los Angeles with charges related to the theft of $16 million from Ohtani to pay off his “substantial gambling debts,” prosecutors announced on April 11, 2024.

Today's bombshell 37-page criminal complaint against Misuhara basically fully exonerates Ohtani and makes it clear that he was robbed in plain sight by his former interpreter. While Mizuhara is presumed innocent until he goes to court or accepts a deal, the evidence against him is flat-out damming.

INSIDE THE PRESS RELEASE
In a press release, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Martin Estrada announced that the 39-year-old Mizuhara faces charges of bank fraud, a felony carrying a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison.

Estrada said at a press conference there is no evidence Ohtani placed any bets himself and it does not appear that Mizhuara bet on baseball. Ohtani has fully cooperated with the investigation, Estrada said at the press conference.

Mizuhara made 19,000 wagers from 2021 to 2024, ranging from $10 to $160,000 per bet, averaging $12,800 per bet, according to the complaint. He had winning bets of $142,256,769 and losing bets of $182,935,206 for a total loss of $40,678,436, according to the complaint.

“According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, from November 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara wired more than $16 million in unauthorized transfers from a checking account belong to an MLB player identified in the affidavit as ‘Victim A,’ who in fact is MLB star Shohei Ohtani. The transfers from this bank account allegedly were made from devices and IP addresses associated with Mizuhara, who served as Ohtani’s translator and de facto manager,” the press release from the prosecutor’s office stated. “In 2018, Mizuhara accompanied Ohtani, who didn’t speak English, to a bank branch in Arizona to assist Ohtani in opening the account and translated for Ohtani when setting up the account details.

The press release added, “Ohtani’s salary from playing professional baseball was deposited into this account and he never gave Mizuhara control of this or any of his other financial accounts, according to the affidavit. Mizuhara allegedly told Ohtani’s U.S.-based financial professionals, none of whom spoke Japanese, that Ohtani denied them access to the account.”

Prosecutors allege that "In September 2021, Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sportsbook and, over the following months, incurred significant losses," the affidavit states. During this period, the contact information on Ohtani's bank account was purportedly changed to link the account to Mizuhara's phone number and an anonymous email address associated with Mizuhara.

Mizuhara first met Ohtani while interpreting for an American player in Japan in 2013. He then became Ohtani's interpreter when Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2017. Mizuhara continued to work with Ohtani when he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers this past offseason.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END FOR THE INTERPRETER
On March 20, 2024, the Dodgers announced Mizuhara's termination after the Los Angeles Times linked him to an investigation involving Matthew Bowyer, accused of operating as a bookmaker in an illegal betting ring. This same investigation resulted in federal charges against former Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig.

Initially, Mizuhara informed ESPN that Ohtani assisted him in settling his debts with the bookmaker. However, Ohtani's representatives released a statement asserting that Ohtani was actually the victim of a "massive theft." Ohtani addressed the media on March 27, stating that he has "never bet on baseball or any other sport" and expressed being "beyond shocked" by the accusations against his friend and interpreter. He added, "It's hard to verbalize how I am feeling at this point."

The evidence supporting the charges against Mizuhara included bank records indicating that the contact information on Ohtani's account was altered to an anonymous email linked to Mizuhara's cell phone, recorded phone conversations with Ohtani's bank, and a text message dated March 20, 2024, from Mizuhara to his bookmaker confessing to embezzling funds from Ohtani, as stated in the complaint.

As per the press release, Mizuhara "also telephoned the bank and falsely identified himself as Ohtani to deceive bank employees into authorizing wire transfers from Ohtani's bank account to associates of the illegal gambling operation."

In one instance, Ohtani's bank account was frozen, and a bank employee phoned a number linked to Mizuhara. Mizuhara successfully answered security questions using biographical details about Ohtani and then posed as Ohtani to lift the freeze, as outlined in the complaint.

Prosecutors further stated, "From January 2024 to March 2024, he also allegedly used this same account to purchase approximately 1,000 baseball cards via eBay and Whatnot, totaling around $325,000. He had these cards shipped to Mizuhara under an alias, 'Jay Min,' and sent to the clubhouse for Ohtani's current MLB team."

Investigators detailed in the complaint, "With consent from Mizuhara and his counsel, I have also taken possession of several additional briefcases and boxes discovered inside a vehicle used by Mizuhara. Inside these containers were more baseball cards, including cards featuring baseball players Yogi Berra, Juan Soto, and (Ohtani). The Investigative Team is still in the process of cataloging all the baseball cards, but I estimate that there were roughly 1,000 baseball cards in the briefcases and boxes."

Federal prosecutors stated in the release, "Mizuhara is anticipated to appear in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles for his initial appearance in the near future." They further noted, "IRS Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations are conducting the investigation. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeff Mitchell of the Major Frauds Section, Dan Boyle of the Environmental Crimes and Consumer Protection Section, and Rachel N. Agress of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section are handling the prosecution of this case."