Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was accused by federal investigators of bank fraud, allegedly stealing over $16 million from Ohtani, whom he had worked with since 2018.
Mizuhara's descent into gambling addiction is depicted in texts between him and bookies, with the bookies extending his credit as long as Mizuhara covered his losses.
Mizuhara's gambling addiction started in 2021 when he met a bookie named Bowyer at a poker game in San Diego, leading to him betting on sports through illegal websites.
Despite Mizuhara's mounting losses, bookies continuously increased his credit limits, leading to desperate attempts by Mizuhara to catch up, even averaging 25 bets per day.
Mizuhara attempted to pay back his debts from Ohtani's account in weekly $500,000 transactions, but after making some payments,
he stopped, leading to a shift in the tone of his texts with Bowyer.
Federal authorities raided Bowyer's house, seizing cash, computers, and phones in October, prompting Bowyer to attempt to contact Mizuhara, who was unresponsive.
Mizuhara spent a significant portion of Ohtani's money on baseball cards, intending to resell them, between January and March, under an alias and having them mailed to the Dodgers clubhouse.
The situation came to light on March 20 when news broke that millions were transferred from Ohtani's account to Bowyer's operation.
Mizuhara initially denied Ohtani's involvement but later admitted to stealing from him, acknowledging the severity of the situation.