On Wednesday, The Los Angeles Times reported that representatives for Shohei Ohtani are accusing the Dodger superstar’s interpreter of stealing his money to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker.
Ohtani’s lawyers allege that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara engaged in “massive theft” from the slugger/pitcher that’s believed to be in the millions of dollars. The attorneys made this claim after came across Ohtani’s name in an investigation of Orange County resident Matthew Bowyer, who is the bookmaker Mizuhara allegedly used to bet on sports.
“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,” the West Hollywood law firm of Berk Brettler said in a statement issued to The Times.
The Times could not initially reach either Mizuhara, whom the Dodgers fired on Wednesday, or Ohtani, who is with the team for a series of games in South Korea, for comment. Unlike in most of the United States, it is not legal to bet on sports in California.
The allegations surrounding Ohtani mark the third time in as many years that a prominent L.A. athlete has been at least tangentially involved in an illegal gambling investigation, with situations involving Yasiel Puig and LeBron James’ business manager'preceding the current imbroglio.