Ohtani Cleared of Wrongdoing in Gambling Probe

Dodgers Star Knew Nothing of Translator's Sports Betting

Shohei Ohtani has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons. The Dodgers star has been ensnared in a gambling probe due to money stolen by his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Dodgers fans breathed a sigh of relief after Ohtani cleared of wrongdoing in the federal probe. Mizuhara was charged with federal bank fraud after stealing nearly $16 million from Ohtani’s bank accounts to pay illegal bookmakers. He could face up to 30 years in federal prison, although a plea deal may be in the works.

During Friday’s meeting in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria A. Audero, Mizuhara was ordered to undergo gambling addiction treatment as part of his bond release. Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G. Freedman, said his client had already planned on getting treatment.

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A criminal complaint was filed on Thursday after phone calls, text messages, and phone records were gone over. Mizuhara was a big sports gambling bettor, as the search uncovered $142 million in winning bets. Unfortunately for Mizuhara, the probe also uncovered more than $183 million in losing wagers. None of the 19,000 bets he made were on baseball.

“Today Mr. Mizuhara voluntarily surrendered, made his initial appearance, and was released on bond as agreed to with the government,” Mizuhara’s lawyers said in a statement. “He is continuing to cooperate with the legal process and is hopeful that he can reach an agreement with the government to resolve this case as quickly as possible so that he can take responsibility. He wishes to apologize to Mr. Ohtani, the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and his family. As noted in court, he is also eager to seek treatment for his gambling. We have no further comment at this time, but Mr. Mizuhara will be providing further comment as the legal process proceeds.”

Meeting With Dodgers in Seoul

Nearly a month before Ohtani cleared of wrongdoing in the case, he discovered the theft after Mizuhara spoke to the Dodgers after the team’s first game in South Korea. He told the team he had a gambling addiction and that Ohtani paid his debts to an illegal bookmaker. Once Ohtani learned what was said, he called his agent, setting off a chain of events and trying to shut down the MLB rumors before they began.

When the Dodgers returned to Los Angeles, Ohtani turned over his electronic devices to federal authorities. Authorities looked at nearly 10,000 pages of text messages between Ohtani and Mizuhara. They didn’t find any messages containing anything about sports betting or illegal bookmakers. Federal authorities wanted to make sure there was no possibility of the Dodgers star being involved before moving forward with the charges against Mizuhara. When the feds announced Ohtani cleared of wrongdoing, they said he “cooperated fully and completely” with the investigation.

Mizuhara is scheduled to be arraigned on May 9.

“Mizuhara admitted to the bookmaker to stealing from Mr. Ohtani,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said. “Mr. Mizuhara used and abused that position of trust to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani … to plunder Mr. Ohtani’s account to the tune of $16 million” and to “feed his insatiable appetite for illegal sports betting.”

For MLB odds, betting analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.


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