Dodgers Fire Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter After He’s Reportedly Linked to Illegal Gambling

The Los Angeles Dodgers have fired Shohei Ohtani’s translator, Ippei Mizuhara, after Ohtani’s lawyers accused him of “mass theft.” Muzuhara allegedly used the 29-year-old’s money to gamble with an alleged illegal bookmaker that is currently under federal investigation, reports Los Angeles Times, ESPN and The Athletic.

“In response to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei was the victim of a grand larceny and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” Ohtani’s attorneys at Berk Brettler LLP said in a statement to ESPN and Los Angeles Times.

Mizuhara has been Ohtani’s translator since his 2018 MLB debut.

“The Dodgers are aware of the media reports and are gathering information. The team can confirm that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara has been fired. The team has no further comment at this time,” a Dodgers representative said, according to MLB.com.

Los Angeles Times first revealed the MLB star’s name in an investigation involving an Orange County resident named Matthew Bowyer. It was reported that Mizuhara, 39, allegedly made illegal bets with Bowyer, with bank transfers in Ohtani’s name.

“Mathew Bowyer has never met, spoken to, texted or contacted Shohei Ohtani in any way,” said Bowyer’s attorney, Diane Bass. Los Angeles Times. Bass said her client has not been charged with a crime.

Shohei Ohtani during practice at Camelback Ranch on February 14, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.

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In 2021, Mizuhara began placing sports bets — which are illegal in California — on international soccer games, the NBA, NFL and college football, but never baseball, according to ESPN.

“I’ve never bet on baseball,” Mizuhara told ESPN on Tuesday. “It’s 100 percent. I knew that rule … We have a meeting about it in spring training.” (The MLB Gambling Rule prohibits “any player, umpire, official or employee of the club or league” from betting on MLB games or illegally betting on other sports.)

Although Ohtani’s name was on the wire transfers, Mizuhara and multiple other sources told ESPN that the MLB star was not gambling. Mizuhara reportedly told ESPN that his gambling debts total $4.5 million.

An Ohtani spokesman first told ESPN that the pitcher transferred the funds to help his translator pay off a gambling debt on Tuesday. However, Ohtani’s spokesperson “disavowed Mizuhara’s account and said Ohtani’s lawyers will issue a statement,” ESPN reports.

Shohei Ohtani on February 27, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona.

David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty

In an interview with ESPN on Wednesday, Mizuhara claimed that Ohtani was unaware of his gambling debts after claiming on Tuesday that Ohtani was aware of his debts. “Obviously this is all my fault, everything I’ve done,” he told ESPN on Wednesday. – I am ready to face all the consequences.

Mizuhara and Ohtani attended the Dodgers’ season opener and were spotted at the ballpark in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday. The Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 5-2. After the game, Mizuhara told the club that the story of his gambling addiction would be released soon, according to a Dodgers spokesman, ESPN reported.

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Shohei Ohtani is introduced by the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on December 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

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Ohtani joined the MLB in 2018 and signed with the Los Angeles Angels. In December 2023, the pitcher signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers, making Ohtani the highest-paid player in North American sports history.

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Berk Brettler LLP, Diane Bass and MLB did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for more information on Wednesday.

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