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The LA Times on Wednesday is reporting that Shohei Ohtani's one time interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, may have fled to South Korea.
Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers following allegations of illegal gambling and "massive theft" of the Japanese baseball superstar's funds. $4.5 million had been removed from Ohtani's bank account.
“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 Wednesday.
The Dodgers said in a statement they were “aware of media reports and are gathering information.
“The team can confirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been terminated,” the statement said. “The team has no further comment at this time.”
Ohtani has denied any wrongdoing or ever having bet on baseball.
Mizuhara's bookie, Mathew Bowyer, has reportedly been under federal investigation for some time now. The IRS confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that its criminal field office in Los Angeles has opened an investigation involving Bowyer and Mizuhara.
But the MLB will now have a much tougher time in subpoenaing Mizhuhara, and not only because he left the country.
Legal analyst and attorney Dina Doll told The Times, “This investigation may be dead on arrival. The fact that Ippei Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers will complicate MLB investigation into the alleged theft and illegal gambling scandal because its Department of Investigation only has the power to subpoena employees of the league."
"Even the IRS will have a difficult time in its investigation compelling Mizuhara to give evidence if he remains outside the country.”
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
