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Shohei Ohtani's now former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is accused of stealing $4.5 million to cover his illegal gambling debts.
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Mizuhara's bookie is said to have been under federal investigation and the IRS has now confirmed they are looking into this matter.
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The Red Sox deny ever employing Mizuhara as an interpreter despite his resume claiming otherwise.
The Making of a Scandal
What, if anything, did MLB golden boy Shohei Ohtani know? This is the question after his long time interpreter and friend was let go for alleged gambling and "massive theft".
We should get some idea Monday afternoon as Ohtani announced Sunday he will be addressing the scandal at that time.
Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is accused of stealing $4.5 million to cover his illegal gambling debts. Mizuhara claims Ohtani had agreed to give him the money. Mizuhara has since been fired, having translated for Ohtani since 2017, and Major League Baseball is now conducting an investigation.
“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 is making his debut with the Dodgers this spring.
Mizuhara's bookie, Mathew Bowyer, has reportedly been under federal investigation for some time now. The IRS confirmed to the Los Angeles Times Friday that its criminal field office in Los Angeles has opened an investigation involving Bowyer and Mizuhara.
Bowyer's attorney, Diane Bass, acknowledged that Bowyer was a bookie. She insisted it was the interpreter, not Ohtani, who placed the bets, even with the ballplayer’s name appearing on the bank records.
“He never spoke with him, never met with him, never texted with him,” Bass said of Ohtani. “The only person he ever met with, spoke with, or texted with was Ippei.”
Commissioner Rob Manfred’s office said in a statement that the league had begun its formal process through its investigations department. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations,” from news reports, the statement said.
Poking Holes in Mizuhara's Resume
There are a lot of inconsistencies in Mizuhara's resume that have emerged since the story first broke last week.
Mizuhara was said to have worked his first job in baseball as an interpreter for Boston Red Sox pitcher Hideki Okajima from 2007 to 2011.
The Red Sox deny any association with the disgraced translator.
"We are reaching out to all of you because of reports in various outlets stating that Ippei Mizuhara worked for the Red Sox as an interpreter, which is incorrect. Mizuhara was never employed by the Boston Red Sox in any capacity and was not an interpreter for Hideki Okajima during the pitcher's time with the team. Please know we have thoroughly checked our files to ensure we are providing accurate information."
Mizuhara also claimed he had attended UC Riverside. That school says otherwise.
“Our university records do not show a student by the name of Ippei Mizuhara having attended UC Riverside.”
- Alejandro Botticelli, Gambling911.com
