LA Dodgers star’s interpreter fired amid theft accusations to pay off gambling debt
Ippei Mizuhara allegedly stole $4.5m from Shohei Ohtani, investigation and interview carried out by ESPN discovers
Ippei Mizuhara, interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, has been fired after being accused of stealing $4.5m to pay off his gambling debts, according to media reports.
It has been alleged that Mizuhara took the funds from Ohtani’s bank account to recover losses occurred as a result of bets he placed dating back to 2021 with an alleged illegal gambling operation in South California, which is currently under investigation, per ESPN.
On Tuesday, March 19, Mizuhara spoke to ESPN in a 90-minute interview, during which he gave his version of events and took full accountability, saying he was “ready to face all the consequences.”
He admitted to betting on soccer, NBA, NFL, and college football but not baseball. He added he placed bets via DraftKings and “assumed” the bets he struck were legal.
As quoted by ESPN, Mizuhara said: “Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn’t happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again. He decided to pay it off for me.
“I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again.
“I never bet on baseball. That’s 100%. I knew that rule […] we have a meeting about that in spring training,” he added.
However, the following day, Wednesday, March 20, Mizuhara changed his story when speaking to ESPN, and instead said Ohtani was not aware of his gambling debts and did not transfer any money.
Prior to ESPN publishing the original interview on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ohtani announced the Dodger’s player would issue a statement via his lawyers, Berk Brettler LLP.
The statement read: “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.”
Following the release of the statement, ESPN went back to Mizuhara to ask if he had been accused of theft. The interpreter replied that he could not comment.
Sports betting remains illegal in California after the latest initiatives to legalize the vertical were withdrawn earlier this year, which means the earliest sports betting could be legalized in the US’ most populous state is 2026.