He Stole How Much?! Shohei Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Charged With Fraud

Ippei Mizuhara, the longtime interpreter and former friend of Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, is in some muddy waters.

Mizuhara was charged with bank fraud Thursday, according to Alden González of ESPN. It was discovered by federal authorities that he transferred more than $16 million from Ohtani’s account to an alleged illegal sports book.

It’s never a good thing when federal authorities are involved, and especially when they’re willing to press charges.

“The bets do not appear to have been made on the sport of baseball,” US Attorney Martin Estrada said, per González, who shared they were placed between 2021 and 2024. Mizuhara, according to Estrada, set up the account for Shohei Ohtani and didn’t have access to Ohtani’s reps or financial advisors.

If you’re wondering, “What is all this about?” you’ve probably been living under a rock, but we’ll still fill you in.

Mizuhara, as the result of this investigation, was fired by the Dodgers on March 20. His part in illegally gambling and the ensuing financial theft from Ohtani, which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times, proceeded to unravel from there.

The issue was brought to Los Angeles when Ohtani’s agents came across previous transactions. Mizuhara falsely identified himself as Ohtani to “trick and deceive” bank employees into authorizing transfers, according to ESPN’s report, with federal authorities obtaining recorded phone calls from the bank.

Mizuhara claims he never bet on baseball.