Shohei Ohtani was the victim of Japanese interpreter Ippei Mizuhara's stealing funds from him, according to federal investigators. (Image: The Yomiuri Shimbun/Associated Press/Alamy)

Federal authorities filed an affidavit on Thursday accusing Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, of stealing more than $16 million from the baseball star over a two-year period. 

Officials say that Mizuhara, 39, used the money to pay off gambling debts to an illegal sportsbook operated out of Southern California.

See also:

• Shoehei Ohtani Denies Betting on Baseball, Other Sports
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US Attorney Says Ohtani Was ‘Victim’ in Case

Mizuhara is accused of bank fraud, which could carry a fine of up to $1 million and up to 30 years in prison, based on federal sentencing guidelines. 

The New York Times cited three people briefed on the matter as saying that Mizuhara is in negotiations to plead guilty for the crimes he is accused of. 

The proceedings appear to vindicate Ohtani for his role in the scandal, which has placed focus on the Japanese superstar along with the intersection between the sports betting industry and professional sports. 

“I want to emphasize this point: Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,” US Attorney Martin Estrade told reporters during a Los Angeles press conference on Thursday. “There is no evidence that Mr. Ohtani authorized the transfers to the bookmakers.”

Allegedly: Mizuhara Took Control of Ohtani’s Bank Account

That statement may be difficult to swallow on its face, given the large amounts of money transferred out of Ohtani’s account to the alleged bookmaker. However, this case has also shined a light on the immense power that translators who also act as managers can have over individuals who have no ability to speak the language of the country they are working in – in this case, the Japanese Ohtani, who speaks virtually no English. 

The complaint says that Mizuhara helped Ohtani open a bank account for Ohtani in 2018, where his salary from the Los Angeles Angels – the team Ohtani played for at the time – would be deposited. Ohtani claims he never gave Mizuhara control over his accounts, but investigators allege that Mizuhara told Ohtani’s American financial team – none of whom spoke Japanese – that Ohtani had denied them access to that account. 

According to the New York Times, authorities believe they have evidence that Mizuhara changed the settings on Ohtani’s online banking accounts. By doing so, he was able to make it so that Ohtani didn’t receive alerts or confirmations for any of these transactions. 

Bank records also show that the phone numbers and email addresses associated with Ohtani’s account were changed to contact details for Mizuhara late in 2021. Prosecutors say that when Mizuhara won, the winnings ended up in his accounts, not Ohtani’s. 

“Mr. Mizuhara used and abused that position of trust…in order to plunder Mr. Ohtani’s bank account to the tune of over $16 million,” Estrada said. 

Text Messages Reveal No Ties Between Ohtani, Bets

According to Estrada, investigators were able to read years of text messages sent between Ohtani and Mizuhara, and were not able to find any discussion of gambling in those conversations. 

On the other hand, investigators found messages between Mizuhara and a bookmaker beginning in 2021. The complaint says that Mizuhara averaged 25 bets per day between December 2021 and January 2024, totaling approximately 19,000 wagers. Authorities say that Mizuhara ultimately lost $40,678,436 during this period. 

While the bookmaker is not named in the complaint, it is believed to be Mathew Bowyer. Details in the complaint appear to match those of Bowyer, who has previously been linked to this case in media reports.

Ohtani switched teams in the offseason, signing a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. So far in 2024, Ohtani is hitting .333 with three home runs and 8 RBIs in his first 15 games. The two-way star will not pitch this season as he recovers from elbow surgery.