Shohei Ohtani’s former translator, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly stole more than $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to cover millions of dollars in gambling debts, the U.S. attorney’s office said Thursday.
The office, which filed a criminal complaint against Mizuhara for bank fraud on Thursday, also said Ohtani had no knowledge of the fraud and is considered a victim in the case.
The bets were not placed on baseball games, the office said.
Mizuhara was Ohtani’s translator for years. During this time, the attorney’s office discovered that Mizuhara had full access to Ohtani’s bank accounts. Phone records show he accessed them over the Internet and lied to the bank, impersonating Ohtani, the office said. He refused to give Ohtani’s agent and other advisers access to the accounts.
On March 20, 2024, Mizuhara admitted to a bookmaker in an encrypted text message that he had stolen the money from Ohtani, according to the complaint. “Technically I stole him. It’s over for me,” she wrote.
Mizuhara has been the subject of a federal investigation into wire transfers of millions of dollars originating from Ohtani’s bank account to an illegal betting firm since November 2021.
“Because of his position of trust, he had unique access to his finances and used and abused that position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada.
Attorneys for Ohtani, Mizuhara and the Dodgers declined to comment on the allegations.
The Ohtani scam was first discovered as the US Department of Justice was investigating illegal sports betting operations in Southern California and the laundering of proceeds from those operations through casinos in Las Vegas. The investigations led to criminal charges and/or convictions of 12 defendants, the complaint said.
While sports gambling is legal in 38 states and Washington, DC, it is illegal in California, which has led some players to illegal operations.
Mizuhara faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison on the charges and is expected to appear in court in the next two days.
Estrada said Mizuhara kept his winnings in his own bank account.
Despite owing millions of dollars in losses to bookmakers, Mizuhara has repeatedly asked them to increase his betting limits.
“Bad run,” he texted a bookie. “Any chance you can hit me again?? As you know, you don’t have to worry about me not paying!!”
By November 2023, Mizuhara’s debts had become crippling. He messaged the same bookie saying he ended up losing a lot of money investing in crypto over the past two years and taking huge hits with sports betting as well.
“Is there any way to settle an amount? I’ve already lost too much on the site … of course I know it’s my fault,” he said.
Law enforcement officials said Ohtani is fully cooperating and has allowed them access to his electronic devices.
Ohtani told officials he believed his accountants and financial advisers were monitoring his accounts, and because he received income from both foreign and domestic sources, they generally did not ask about specific accounts, but about an overall picture of his investment profile. However, due to the language barrier, financial agents and consultants contacted Mizuhara to translate for their client.
In a press conference on March 25, Ohtani said he had just learned of the theft and said he felt sad, shocked and betrayed by someone he trusted.
“I have never placed a bet on baseball, or any other sport, or asked someone to do so on my behalf,” Ohtani said through another translator.
Previously, Mizuhara had said that Ohtani knew about the debts and was helping him pay them off. He later retracted those statements.
Ohtani is one of the biggest stars in Major League Baseball. The 29-year-old Japanese-born pitcher joined the Dodgers on Dec. 9 on a record 10-year, $700 million contract after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani is the only MLB player to win the American League MVP by unanimous vote twice and the first player of Japanese descent to lead off the major league domestic runs.
If Ohtani were found to be involved, he could be in violation MLB’s gaming policy. Punishments range from a one-season suspension to permanent ineligibility.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Shohei Ohtani’s first name.