The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly made a shocking revelation pertaining to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani has been in the news since the Dodgers fired his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara claimed the player permitted him to transfer money from his bank account to cover gambling debt. However, he’s being accused of undertaking a “massive theft” by Ohtani’s camp.
Federal prosecutors revealed on Thursday that Mizuhara had been charged with bank fraud and allegedly unlawfully transferred $16 million from Ohtani’s account to pay off debt to an illegal bookmaker in California.
“Mr. Ohtani is considered to be a victim in this case,” Martin Estrada, the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, noted.
Mathew Bowyer Nearly Confronted Shohei Ohtani
A tweet from Joe Pompliano, which has since been deleted, shows a snippet from a court document in which the DoJ reveals that the bookie in question, Mathew Bowyer, almost confronted Shohei Ohtani over his interpreter’s gambling debt because Mizuhara was not taking his calls.
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It reads: “9. On or about. November 17, 2023, BOOKMAKER 1 messaged MIZUHARA stating, “Hey Ippie, it’s 2 o’clock on Friday. I don’t know why you’re not returning my calls. I’m here in Newport Beach and I see [Victim Al walking his dog. I’m just gonna go up and talk to him and ask how I can get in touch with you since you’re not responding? Please call me back immediately.“
The document also notes that Mizuhara texted Bowyer to explain that he lost a lot of money on both crypto and gambling.
“h. On or about November 19, 2023, MIZUHARA messaged BOOKMAKER 1 stating “I’m gonna be honest, I ended up losing a lot of money on crypto the last couple years and I took a huge hit obviously with the sports too. Just wanted to ask, is there any way we can settle on an amount? I’ve lost way too much on the site already .. of course I know it’s my fault.“
According to Pompliano, Mizuhara’s registered gambling losses amount to $40 million, though it’s worth noting that he never bet on baseball. He is believed to have wagered an average of $12,800 on every pick.
Also Read: REPORT: Shohei Ohtani Makes A Very Suspicious Hire Amid Massive Gambling Scandal
