"I swear on my mom this will be the last" - Federal inquiry uncovers Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pleading with bookmakers
The saga around Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, is finally starting to get resolved. On Thursday, it was announced that he is facing a federal charge of bank fraud.
This stems from Mizuhara stealing over $16 million from somebody he viewed as a friend. Mizuhara had access to Ohtani's bank account and kept Ohtani's agent, accountant, and financial advisor in the dark.
During the investigation, dozens of messages between Mizuhara and his bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer, were found and released. These messages truly show how much of a grip sports gambling has on some people.
"Can you bump me the last 200? I swear on my mom this will be the last ask before I pay it off once I get back to the States. Sorry for keep on asking," - said Mizuhara.
This was not the only time that Mizuhara asked for credit from his bookmaker. He had a few more bad runs after already owing over $1 million, but since he was Ohtani's interpreter, he kept getting credit.
"Any chance I can get one last bump? This will be my last one for a while if I lose it" - said Mizuhara.
The following day after that message, Mizuhara asked for more credit. You could see how this can snowball to the amount that it did in such a short time.
Ippei Mizuhara made unauthorized transfers from Shohei Ohtani's bank account from 2021 to 2024
According to US Attorney Martin Estrada, Ippei Mizuhara made unauthorized transfers from Shohei Ohtani's bank account from November 2021 to January 2024.
Mizuhara had access to Ohtani's bank account as he was the one who set up the account for the superstar when he first joined the Los Angeles Angels. Mizuhara refused to give Ohtani's team access to the account outside of him.
Mizuhara acted as Ohtani to get into the bank account, and any winnings that he made from gambling went directly to his account. However, there was not much winning to be had as time went on.
Once Ohtani found out, he fully cooperated and cut ties with his former interpreter. His name has been fully cleared as there was no evidence that the two-way star consumed sports gambling.
Mizuhara will head to court over the next few days to learn his fate. If convicted of bank fraud, he could face a maximum of 30 years in prison.