Shohei Ohtani was the story of the 2024 MLB offseason. How could it be anything else? Ohtani, a two-way sensation, hit free agency after putting up MVP-worthy numbers as a hitter and Cy Young-caliber numbers as a pitcher.
After weeks of rumors and rumblings, Ohtani’s next destination was finally decided. After spending six years with the Angels, the Japanese star moved across town, joining the Dodgers on a monstrous 10-year, $700 million contract with Los Angeles.
Before Ohtani could even suit up in his first official game as a Dodger, he was back in the headlines — this time, for his potential involvement in a gambling scandal.
Ohtani was swept up in controversy during spring training. It was alleged that his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole millions of dollars from the star to pay off massive gambling debts. The news immediately threw Ohtani into the middle of the scandal, with fans speculating that Ohtani himself had a gambling problem.
After months of investigations both by the U.S. government and Major League Baseball, Ohtani was found to be a victim in the case. He was cleared of having any involvement in the illegal gambling scandal. Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpretor, pleaded guilty to bank fraud.
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Here is everything to know about the Ohtani gambling scandal with Mizuhara.
Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal, explained
News broke in March of 2024 that Mizuhara, Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, was alleged to have lost millions gambling with Mathew Bowyer, a Southern California bookmaker under federal investigation.
Mizuhara allegedly met Bowyer at a poker game in 2021, where Mizuhara began placing bets on sports, though he reportedly never bet on baseball. He wagered by using credit through Bowyer. By 2022, Mizuhara had amassed over $1 million in gambling debts.
The outstanding payments continued into 2023, and Mizuhara used his access to Ohtani’s bank account to transfer funds to the bookmaking operation. The interpreter is alleged to have wired more than $16 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off debts.
Federal investigators said that Mizuhara made about 19,000 bets between September 2021 and January 2024. His winnings amassed to be over $142 million, which he kept for himself. His losses were around $183 million.
Federal authorities began investigating Mizuhara’s gambling in January. At the time, investigators found Ohtani’s name and the word “loan”connected in records of wire transfers.
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When the gambling story first broke March 19, Ohtani’s spokesperson and Mizuhara attempted to clear the air by stating Ohtani transferred money to clear Mizuhara’s gambling debt. However, the story changed the next day, as Ohtani claimed he was the victim of a massive theft, and the matter would be turned over to the authorities.
Mizuhara was fired March 20. Major League Baseball opened its investigation March 22.
Early in the investigation, Mizuhara clarified that Ohtani was the victim in the case and that the baseball star had not been involved in placing any of the bets.
“I worked for Victim A [Ohtani] and I had access to his bank account and I had fallen into major gambling debt, and the only way that I could think of was to use his money. ” Mizuhara told U.S. district judge John W. Holcomb during his federal court hearing on Tuesday, according to ESPN. “I had access to Bank A. So I went ahead and wired money for my gambling debt with his bank account.”
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Who is Ippei Mizuhara?
Mizuhara is a former interpreter for Japanese baseball players. He got his first job as a baseball interpreter in 2007 after graduating from college, as he was hired by the Red Sox to interpret for pitcher Hideki Okajima.
In 2013, Mizuhara traveled to Japan to interpret for the NPB’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. It was during the 2013 season that he met Ohtani, then an 18-year-old rookie with the Fighters.
When the Angels signed Ohtani following the 2017 season, the organization also hired Mizuhara as Ohtani’s interpreter. He served in the role for all six seasons with the Angels, and was hired to do the same job with the Dodgers.
Among Mizuhara’s roles are the typical tasks of translating for Ohtani in news conferences and media scrums. He told Nippon.com in October 2021 that, while he and Ohtani are “kind of like friends,” their relationship is more akin to a professional partnership.
“My first priority is to help create an environment where he can concentrate on baseball,” Mizuhara said at the time.
Who is Mathew Boyer?
Bowyer, is a 49-year-old believed to have served as a bookmaker in an illicit gambling ring based in Orange County, Calif.
He is suspected to have fielded bets from Mizuhara for the better part of two years.
According to The Washington Post, Bowyer earned roughly $5,400 a month working odd jobs such as exterminator, a commodities trader, and the owner of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio.
However, his big money came from gambling. Boyer was barred from several Las Vegas casinos and reportedly racked up $425,000 worth of debts to the Cosmopolitan and Aria casinos in 2010 and 2011, per the Washington Post.
It’s unclear exactly when Bowyer became a bookmaker. He founded a company called Picks Enterprises, LLC in 2019, per court records obtained by The Washington Post. By that time, Bowyer was embroiled in what the Federal Trade Commission called “the largest overseas real estate investment scam the [agency] has ever targeted,” a project dubbed Sanctuary Belize.
He has since been charged with operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return.
Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal verdict
On June 4, Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges in federal court, according to ESPN.
The same day, the MLB closed its investigation into Ohtani, concluding that the star was a victim in the case.
“Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that was made public, the information MLB collected, and the criminal proceeding being resolved without being contested, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani a victim of fraud and this matter has been closed,” MLB said in the statement.
The Dodgers issued a statement of their own following the one from MLB:
With today’s plea in the criminal proceedings against Ippei Mizuhara and the conclusion of both federal and MLB investigations, the Dodgers are pleased that Shohei and the team can put this entire matter behind them and move forward in pursuit of a World Series title.
Ohtani also sent out a statement through a spokesperson:
Now that the investigation has been completed, this full admission of guilt has brought important closure to me and my family. I want to sincerely thank the authorities for finishing their thorough and effective investigation so quickly and uncovering all of the evidence.
This has been a uniquely challenging time, so I am especially grateful for my support team — my family, agent, agency, lawyers, and advisors along with the entire Dodger organization, who showed endless support throughout this process.
It’s time to close this chapter, move on and continue to focus on playing and winning ballgames.
Mizuhara now faces a maximum of 33 years in prison after pleading guilty to the charges. His sentencing date was originally scheduled for Oct. 25, but it has since been moved to Dec. 20 in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
