LA Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani's Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Fired After Alleged Millions of Dollars in Theft
The Los Angeles Dodgers have parted ways with Ippei Mizuhara, who served as new star pitcher Shohei Ohtani‘s interpreter.
It was just revealed that the interpreter has reportedly been fired by the organization amid allegations of “at least $4.5 million in wire transfers” from Shohei‘s bank account, according to ESPN.
Keep reading to find out more…
The sports broadcast company reports that the wire transfers were sent from Shohei‘s account to a Southern California bookmaking operation, noting that Ippei incurred gambling debts from the operation, which is under federal investigation.
ESPN reports that Shohei transferred the funds himself to cover the debts for his interpreter, who was practically his best friend.
However, before a massive interview and story where Ippei laid out what was going on in detail was to be published, a spokesperson “disavowed Mizuhara‘s account” and said Shohei‘s lawyers would release a statement.
“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” law firm Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement.
Sports betting is legal in nearly 40 states, however, California is not one of those.
Ippei reportedly placed bets on international soccer, NBA, NFL and college football, starting in 2021.
In an interview on Tuesday (March 19), Ippei confessed that he did ask Shohei to pay off his gambling debt.
“Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn’t happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again,” he said. “He decided to pay it off for me.”
“I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.”
However, the next day, Ippei said that Shohei had no knowledge of the gambling debts and he did not transfer the funds.
An MLB source says the league has not been contacted by federal authorities, and other sources say Shohei and Ippei have also not been contacted.
Get the full story at ESPN.com!
Shohei and Ippei are currently in South Korea as the LA Dodgers kick off the 2024 season in a two-game series against the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers defeated the Padres in the first game on Wednesday (March 20), 5-2.