MLB Investigating Alleged Theft of Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani by Ippei Mizuhara

Andrew PetersMarch 22, 2024

JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images

Major League Baseball is investigating the alleged theft of Shohei Ohtani by interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.

“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei [Mizuhara] from the news media,” the league said in a statement. “Earlier today, our Department of Investigations (DOI) began their formal process investigating the matter.”

According to T.J. Quinn of ESPN, MLB is expected to request interviews from “all parties,” including including Ohtani and Mizuhara. As Quinn noted, MLB might not be able to compel either to answer questions, however.

Mizuhara is no longer an employee of an MLB team, while Ohtani has protections under the MLPA to refuse cooperation.

The investigation comes after Ohtani fired his interpreter on Wednesday following questions surrounding at least $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from Ohtani’s bank account to a bookmaking operation.

Per ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, the bookmaking operation is under federal investigation. Mizuhara, who has been Ohtani’s interpreter for his entire MLB career, lost his job after reporters began asking questions about the wire transfers.

A spokesperson for Ohtani originally told ESPN that the wire transfers were made to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debt. Ohtani’s spokesperson later walked back the comments and said Ohtani’s lawyers would issue a statement.

That statement from Berk Brettler LLP said that Ohtani “has been the victim of massive theft.”

“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 statement read.

The wire transfers from Ohtani’s account came to light this week after a federal investigation into a gambling operation run by Southern California bookmaker Matthew Bowyer. According to Thompson, sources close to the gambling operation said that Bowyer dealt directly with Mizuhara. The sources said that since 2021, he has bet on international soccer matches and other sports, but not baseball.

In an interview on Tuesday, Mizuhara told ESPN that he asked Ohtani to pay off his $4.5 million gambling debt. In that interview, Mizuhara said he placed bets on DraftKings and assumed the bets placed through Bowyer’s operation were legal.

On Wednesday, Mizuhara said that Ohtani did not make the wire transfers and did not know about his gambling debt.

Amid the investigation, Ohtani is beginning his first campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two-time AL MVP, who had 151 hits, 44 home runs and 95 RBI in 2023, has played in two regular-season games in 2024, going 3-for-10.