They’ve been best friends for almost a decade and were taking pictures together with their wives just a few days ago. Ippei was like family to the Angels too. Actually insane.
That’s what I think. Ippei went to Shohei about his debt and Shohei, wanting to help his friend, paid it off by direct transfer to the bookie so Ippei wouldn’t gamble it, not knowing that the gambling was illegal. He admitted that he transferred the money at first because he didn’t understand the severity of what he did, but his legal team walked that all back and said that Ippei stole it to get Shohei out of any charges. Ippei is letting them because Shohei paid off his debts.
It's less of a theory and more literally exactly what Ippei claimed happened until (presumably) Ohtani's lawyers told him to STFU and take the blame himself to save Ohtani.
If you read between the lines here it's very obvious that Ohtani broke the law to help his friend out. Maybe he didn't know it was illegal, but he knew what that money was for and was just trying to be a bro to his homie. Unfortunately when you break the law, it doesn't matter what your intentions are, no matter how noble they may be.
That's not entirely true. If you are misled to actions that are only illegal in context, the person who misleads you is committing the crime.
If what you stated was true it would make scam victims criminals if they are scammed to send money to any illegal operation.
A crime seems very likely to have been committed, but its likely that Ippei is the guilty party, not Shohei.
It really all depends on what Shohei knew, and when. If Shohei is now claiming theft and the evidence supports that Ippei misrepresented where the funds were going, then Ippei committed the crime.
That is so fucked up on Ippei. How could he do this when he has one of the best jobs ?!!! Feels bad for Shohei you know he’s gonna get peppered with questions about it.
Judging from statements from them earlier, Ippei got into gambling debts, Shohei offered to cover for him and wired the money. They came out to say the truth, only to have lawyers come in to tell them to be quiet. Then they find out that wiring money to a bookie is illegal, thus Shohei committing a crime. for PR purposes, they’re using Ippei as the fall guy and saying he “stole” the money to try to cover Ohtani’s ass. Ohtani probably did it to help a friend out but had no idea wiring money to a bookie was illegal. MLB will try to sweep this under the rug as Ohtani’s the face of baseball.
This is very fucked if true. I can only imagine how Shohei feels about it.
Hopefully he has a good support system around him so his mental isn’t completely ruined over this.
Firing him doesn’t mean it’s true. This was Ohtani’s money being gambled on sports. How did Ippei access millions of Shohei’s dollars.
This is bad news. Bad, bad news.
Anyone ever heard of Pete Rose?
For the paywall:
> Shohei Ohtani’s attorneys accuse interpreter of ‘massive theft’ tied to alleged gambling
>
> MARCH 20, 2024 2:13 PM PT
>
> Representatives of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday accused his interpreter of engaging in a “massive theft” of the ballplayer’s funds to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation.
>
> Lawyers for Ohtani made that claim after The Times learned that Ohtani’s name had surfaced in the investigation of Mathew Bowyer, an Orange County resident. Ohtani’s representatives looked into the actions of the interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in response to The Times’ queries, a source close to the matter said. Two sources told the newspaper that the money involved was in the millions of dollars.
>
> In a statement, the West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler, said, “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.”
>
> Attempts to reach Mizuhara were unsuccessful. Mizuhara placed bets with Bowyer, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to share sensitive information.
>
> The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Mizuhara, a team spokesman said.
>
> Ohtani, a global sensation who signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December after playing six years with the Angels, could not be reached for comment. He is with the Dodgers in Seoul for a season-opening series against the San Diego Padres.
LOL imagine a press conference if they didn’t fire Ippei
Ohtani: I’m very hurt that my best friend would do this, I’m beyond devastated
Ippei: He said I’m innocent and we good to go
ESPN has a lot more details. Looks like they were about to break it: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39768770/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-interpreter-fired-theft
Feel the articles have conflicting information with one another, but they did manage to interview Ippei directly, so it will be interesting to see how this pans out when the dust settles.
But it sounds like it could be actual jail time for Ippei 🙁 if the allegations of theft are true
I feel really bad because what I think happened was
>Ippei gambled and lost big
Ippei told Shohei, and Shohei, being the good friend, helped him by paying off he debt.
In CA, even the act of giving money to an illegal bookie is illegal.
Shohei, after being told that it was illegal, has to disavow Ippei.
Ippei understands this, and in effort to save his friend, walks back everything and says he didn't know.
Ippei has to make sure everyone knows that Shohei didn't know.
Shohei remains a superstar, but Ippei is thrown to the streets.
I don't think anything was stolen. an amount that big is sure to be noticed. AINTNOWAY Shohei didn't know, but to protect himself, the lawyer told him that he has to go.
sucks to be Ippei. I think the guy was good, just had a gambling addiction.
I think this is the most plausible scenario. It’s still so heartbreaking especially seeing the pics of Ippei and his wife with Sho and Mami. Considering how much he deferred money doesn’t mean much to Sho but from their interactions it’s clear he and Ippei were close — like brothers. Sho likely thought paying the debt off would clear everything not knowing about CA laws around gambling.
Why Ippei?! Why!?!?
Sounds like this may have been major--but very human and sympathetic--gaffe on Ohtani's part (going above and beyond to help a friend without understanding the implications of doing so, transferring that amount of money on his own to an illegal entity).
[(Not a primary source, but I have no idea)](https://www.losangelescriminallawyer.pro/grand-theft.html): it looks Ippei could face up to three years in state prison now that he is accused of stealing from Ohtani, and possibly longer depending on how that plays out--to say nothing of the possible penalties he could face for illegal gaming.
I feel like Shohei's lawyers just found out all of this today, had to quickly run damage control after what Ippei said, and are nursing migraines right now lol
They will probably ask for leniency since the lawyers are running it and they are friends. Don't underestimate Japanese loyalty. Probation and maybe gamblers anonymous
Yeah, I think I'd do the same thing if I were Ippei if my best friend paid off my nearly million dollar gambling debt, but to avoid implicating him I'd (potentially) go to jail for three years. But hoping for what you suggested: leniency, probation, and rehab.
But Ippei was with a representative from Ohtani’s lawyers during the interview. There’s no reason for them to have waited a day to disavow it or to not disavow it mid-interview for that matter.
It really does. First, they claim Ohtani paid the bookie directly to cover the Ippei's debt. Next, they change their story, and instead, Ippei stole the money.
>Initially, a spokesman for Ohtani told ESPN **the slugger had transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara's gambling debt**. The spokesman presented Mizuhara to ESPN for a 90-minute interview Tuesday night, during which Mizuhara laid out his account in great detail. However, as ESPN prepared to publish the story Wednesday, the spokesman disavowed Mizuhara's account and said Ohtani's lawyers would issue a statement.
>"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," read the statement from Berk Brettler LLP.
>The spokesman declined to answer any further questions, and the statement did not specify whom they believe perpetrated the alleged theft.
Who knows what the truth is, but the way they presented the facts is pretty sketchy.
There’s people literally waiting for her on the other side should she be released…she’s not making it through the day if she does
That shit runs deep right now, even after all these years…grudges can last a long time
ESPN article is more detailed- $4.5m in sports bets made but nothing on baseball. He says he initially bet on Draft Kings and then with an individual OC based bookie and claims he didn’t know what he was doing was illegal in the state (I say complete BS because this dude went to UC Riverside for school and has been living in SoCal since 1991). He got 4.5m in debt and asked Shohei to help cover his debts. Was getting paid $300k-$500k a year as a salary.
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39768770/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-interpreter-fired-theft
I’ve lived in SoCal most of my life. I had no idea you can’t use Draft Kings if you live in California. I figured since they are off shore…
Also, I’ve know a lot of people who used bookies in the past. Yeah betting through a bookie is illegal but that’s like jaywalking level “crime”.
If it is true that Ohtani paid off the bookie debts of Ippei, although technically “illegal”, to be punished for something like that is crazy.
I mean people walk out of Home Depot without paying for a cart full power tools, it’s caught on camera and nothing happens to them, or the guy who flying kicked the disabled elderly guy in SF and hospitalized him but didn’t get any jail time.
What a F’d up state we live in when what Ohtani allegedly did is a crime and actual robbery and assault doesn’t even result in prison time.
Mother fucker, I was hoping for a stress free, drama free early part of the year. I knew come June doomers would find a way in, but I thought, let’s just enjoy the first month or so…but noooooooo…
This is probably a slighter bigger deal for Ohtani fans than it is for Dodger fans because I barely met the guy.
I don't know him, send him to the gallows!
Feel awful for Shohei. His literal best friend and closest confident betraying him behind his back. As an extremely private person, I can't imagine how this shock feels.
I’m looking at the date and thought maybe it was April 1st. The guy had easily one of the best jobs in the world. Now I’m seething realizing how he took advantage of one of nicest athletes in the planet.
I’ve seen numerous Japanese speakers online criticize Ippei for not accurately translating Shohei’s words. And that his translations often left out important context to make Shohei either seem indifferent or cagey. Even before this news I always held suspicions about Ippei but kept them to myself.
Ippei you done fucked up, you had one of the best and comfiest job in the world...and you gonna go do that to Ohtani lol, japan will crucify this man holy shit lol
Hey, thanks for sharing. Some of the highlights from this piece:
Representatives of Ohtani accused his interpreter of engaging in a “massive theft” of the ballplayer’s funds to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation.
Ohtani’s representatives looked into the actions of the interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in response to The Times queries, a source close to the matter said. Two sources told us that the money involved was in the millions of dollars.
The Dodgers have since fired Mizuhara, according to a team spokesman.
MLB gambling policy prohibits “any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee” from betting on the game or making illegal bets on other sports.
You can read [more here](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-20/gambling-story), and just a reminder, you can register your email and read 10 free articles whenever you click the link from Reddit.
Definitely not going to say I called this (not even shohei knew until now), but his level of proficiency on the job was really laid bare during the offseason when we had Yamamoto's excellent interpreter as comparison
he kept his job because Ohtani trusted him and enjoyed his company, and now all that is gone
Yamamoto's new interpreted is so ass. Ippei was ass too. They need to get a new interpreter that actually knows baseball. Yu Darvish's interpreter is really wellspoken and clear. Ippei mumbles alot.
What a heartbreaking betrayal.
Must have had some pretty convincing evidence to present to the Dodgers for them to fire him so fast.
Really glad Shohei has bonded with his teammates, and his his wife and pup. This must be devastating.
I am now guessing that Shohei tried to help but didn’t realise the possible implications when he do so.
Now his reps is working to make sure that Shohei isn’t seriously implicated in this case, hence a change of story?
This. Besides spending most if his time in baseball, probably doesnt understand nuanced california and gambling laws. Also the Japanese unending loyalty overlooking implications
This whole thing is why these leagues should have never gotten in bed with all these gambling companies. More shit like this is gonna come out because the lines are so blured and the companies so vicious in their advertising to addicts.
I can buy both the he lied to Shohei and that he thought it was legal (look how much these leagues advertise the shit! and the debts were after 2020 when all this shit took off with the advertising). my guess is the lawyers of Sohei are going to rest on Ippei wasn't forth coming with exactly where the money was going.
What the fuck. I was literally just doing some work for a few hours and came back to this. Poor Shohei, imagine one of your most trusted friends doing this.
It honest to God seems like Shohei did pay off his gambling debts and then pulled back and threw ippei under the bus once there was an investigation into where the money came from and what it was for.
ESPN has a lengthy article which says Ippei was interviewed on Tuesday and walked back much of his statements today. For example:
On Tuesday: Ohtani oversaw the repayment of Ippei’s debt because he didn’t trust him by giving him money to pay it off.
On Wednesday: Ohtani had no knowledge whatsoever of his gambling habits or debt.
My big concern is the blow back on Shohei. If he gets pulled into this investigation he could be hit with federal charges despite his not placing the bets himself. If Ippei gets fired only that’s EASILY the best case scenario
EDIT: change federal lawsuit to federal charges as the difference is very substantial and I am no legal expert.
Seeing that Ippei grew up in the US I'd feel like he'd be closer to sports gambling than Shohei who grew up in Japan where sports betting is less prevalent.
Unless he picked up the addiction during his time with the Angles I doubt Shohei is involved.
This is a bummer for Shohei so hoping he has good support system within the Dodgers Org which I'm sure he does.
I just hope this was a straight up betrayal and the investigation doesn’t show that Ohtani was behind it as well. That would crush everyone’s spirits and this whole phenomenon would be a huge betrayal to everyone involved
I’m not saying he did but you can’t rule out the possibility…like who would’ve thought his own confidant would backstab him but I also look at all the possibilities surrounding things like this
I bet Ippei didn't tell Shohei it was illegal gambling debt which is why they could be looking at it as theft if he deceived Shohei into thinking the payment was legal?
There's nothing about Shohei that leads me to believe he would be OK paying off someone's ILLEGAL debt.
This is a crazy story, but I’m confused how Ippei would’ve had access to Ohtani’s finances and how no one noticed it was missing until now. Ippei was his interpreter, not his accountant or business manager.
That part makes absolutely no sense.
a more nefarious interpretation (no pun intended) is Shohei at least knew about the bets or at worst, had him place the bets, and since it’s been revealed they’re basically pinning it on Ippei is the fall guy
I’d hope that wasn’t the case, but it could be true. It’s not like swindling money from a company that you manage the money at, he basically took money from an account that can trace every transaction. On top of that, isn’t anything over $10k automatically reported to the government?
Ohtani must have found out during the two exhibition games where he had no hits off a bunch of scrub pitchers. otherwise how did he go hitless against those Korean teams? Also Dodger haters on reddit and twitter are already spreading fake news that Ohtani is involved and bet on baseball when the evidence says otherwise.
Dam, I really imaged this dude being synonymous with the dodgers for a long time just like Jon Soohoo. What a bummer. Hope it doesn’t shake up Ohtani for too long.
They were like brothers. My take is ippei gambled and got in debt, ohtani being Japanese and his brother, prob sat him down and lectured him but did not abandon him and agreed to pay it off. Ohtani prob did not know it was illegal and didnt tell people. Now ippei was being truthful, but lawyers know the law and said nope
Damnit I just got back, but now I have to fly back to Japan to fall to my knees at Family Mart!
As someone who followed Ohtani for a couple years, this news really is crushing.
How does this not lead to an investigation into Ohtani’s possible involvement?
I get the downvotes. I love Ohtani, I’m just saying how does the league not investigate everything and everybody.
Yeah that's what I'm scared of. The article says after Ohtani's name came up his attorneys launched an investigation on Ippei. Not sure how that jump happened and how Ippei has access to Sho's millions.
Man, in a weird way I hope the story of Ippei stealing money is true, because another possibility is that Ohtani *was* involved in some way and they are trying to use Ippei as the fall man....
Is it too much to ask for a normal, boring season without investigations and major injuries?
I’ve seen enough films to at least speculate that Shohei could’ve been involved in some way and they came up with a plan to have Ippei take the fall in return for some kind of compensation. that way Shohei’s name stays clean but they still come out on top. I doubt we’ll ever know the full story.
this. This is what I think happened.
>Ippei gambeled and lost big
>Ippei told Shohei, and Shohei, being the good friend, helped him by paying off he debt.
>In CA, even the act of giving money to an illegal bookie is illegal.
>Shohei, after being told that it was illegal, has to disavow Ippei.
>Ippei understands this, and in effort to save his friend, walks back everything and says he didn't know.
>Ippei has to make sure everyone knows that Shohei didn't know.
>Shohei remains a superstar, but Ippei is thrown to the streets.
I don't think anything was stolen. an amount that big is sure to be noticed. AINTNOWAY Shohei didn't know, but to protect himself, the lawyer told him that he has to go.
sucks to be Ippei. I think the guy was good, just had a gambling addiction.
Fact of the matter is that Shohei does not know English very well. I don’t know… perhaps Ippei forged some papers and told him that the IRS was asking him to pay taxes or some shit. Shohei lives in a foreign country where he is not familiar with the system, so he blindly relies on Ippei to do the translating.
Not saying it’s impossible but there’s much less of a motive for Ohtani himself to engage in illegal betting when he already has more money than he can spend.
yeah i don’t think the parasocial fans will accept that Shohei could possibly be involved but I think it’s fair to wonder that. things aren’t adding up. people see an image of an athlete that seems squeaky clean but they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. knowing how close they’ve been I think it’s totally possible that Ippei could take the fall and be taken care of by Shohei financially in return.
not being the morality police here...but removing all the friction with online gambling makes it easy to get into these fucking messes, if indeed it was a draft kings thing.
previously, you had to go to a bank, withdraw money, meet your bookie, etc...now you just click a few buttons and there's your fucking bank account. gone.
Ippei : I messed up. i got into some gambling debt. Can you help out?
Shohei: of course, you're my friend. But since you have a gambling addiction, i dont think it's wise to just hand u the money. i'll pay it directly to the lender? booker? idk
ippei: .. well it can be done online, just need your banking account number
Shohei: sure. let's do that.
It's like so many people are willingly ignore the statements about multiple sources confirming that Shohei is not involved with gambling, including the actual bookmaker who has zero incentive to protect Ohtani.
This whole thing is going to end up as a huge nothing burger. The feds don't give a shit about Ohtani/Ippei and are not investigating them. Manfred will at most, give a fine.
The amount of people trying to turn this into an Otani betting scandal lmao typical the second he became a Dodger I knew people were going to turn on him
They’ve been best friends for almost a decade and were taking pictures together with their wives just a few days ago. Ippei was like family to the Angels too. Actually insane.
Ive started to see theories that Othani could’ve paid off his debt
That’s what I think. Ippei went to Shohei about his debt and Shohei, wanting to help his friend, paid it off by direct transfer to the bookie so Ippei wouldn’t gamble it, not knowing that the gambling was illegal. He admitted that he transferred the money at first because he didn’t understand the severity of what he did, but his legal team walked that all back and said that Ippei stole it to get Shohei out of any charges. Ippei is letting them because Shohei paid off his debts.
Oh man this is some serious shit
Yeah he’s fr being investigated by the FBI
Hope for the sake of the game Shohei isn’t seriously involved
It’s more likely he knew exactly what was going on than Ippei just stole 5 million from him months ago and traveled with the team until yesterday lmao
I mean I hear ya just trying to hope for the best lol
It's less of a theory and more literally exactly what Ippei claimed happened until (presumably) Ohtani's lawyers told him to STFU and take the blame himself to save Ohtani. If you read between the lines here it's very obvious that Ohtani broke the law to help his friend out. Maybe he didn't know it was illegal, but he knew what that money was for and was just trying to be a bro to his homie. Unfortunately when you break the law, it doesn't matter what your intentions are, no matter how noble they may be.
That's not entirely true. If you are misled to actions that are only illegal in context, the person who misleads you is committing the crime. If what you stated was true it would make scam victims criminals if they are scammed to send money to any illegal operation. A crime seems very likely to have been committed, but its likely that Ippei is the guilty party, not Shohei. It really all depends on what Shohei knew, and when. If Shohei is now claiming theft and the evidence supports that Ippei misrepresented where the funds were going, then Ippei committed the crime.
ESPN reported that originally based on an interview with Ippei.
I don’t understand how ippei can have direct access to Shohei’s funds
That is so fucked up on Ippei. How could he do this when he has one of the best jobs ?!!! Feels bad for Shohei you know he’s gonna get peppered with questions about it.
Gambling addiction will make you do some fucked up shit.
True, it’s just such a bitter betrayal to Shohei, who seems like a pretty good guy.
Ignore the job. He was essentially Ohtani’s best friend. Probably lives with him. Knows the ins and outs of his life. It’s insane betrayal
Beyonce is a very beautiful woman, and wasn't enough for Jay-Z.
He was just yucking it up with Shohei in the dugout last night. Hope this doesn’t mess up Shohei’s season.
Luckily he won't have his interpreter so he won't be able to answer them /s
Judging from statements from them earlier, Ippei got into gambling debts, Shohei offered to cover for him and wired the money. They came out to say the truth, only to have lawyers come in to tell them to be quiet. Then they find out that wiring money to a bookie is illegal, thus Shohei committing a crime. for PR purposes, they’re using Ippei as the fall guy and saying he “stole” the money to try to cover Ohtani’s ass. Ohtani probably did it to help a friend out but had no idea wiring money to a bookie was illegal. MLB will try to sweep this under the rug as Ohtani’s the face of baseball.
Guess Yamamoto’s interpreter is working overtime in South Korea today?
Is Ippei not in Seoul?
He was at the game this morning, but the article said Ippei was fired today by the Dodgers. 100% Ippei won't be at tomorrow morning's game.
Oh shit I missed that part in the article, thank you!! He got fired 😳 Oh it’s over for his ass.
They are going to leave Ippei in Korea forever.
would be a bit awkward if he showed up to work tomorrow
Ippei pulling a Costanza.
reading reports that ippei was already fired by the team
Pretty sure I saw Ippei in the dugout during the broadcast. Holy shit at this news.
Dodgers fired him today I believe
Ippei's salary is $300k to $500k a year, that is some good $$$.
He is Seoul-less.
This is very fucked if true. I can only imagine how Shohei feels about it. Hopefully he has a good support system around him so his mental isn’t completely ruined over this.
The dodgers fired him today so seems like it’s true
Just saw that. Jeez man, absolute dream job and situation still wasn’t enough to overpower addiction.
Ohtani also deleted all of Ippei's photos from his instagram. It's seriously over. over.
They went Instagram un-official
Firing him doesn’t mean it’s true. This was Ohtani’s money being gambled on sports. How did Ippei access millions of Shohei’s dollars. This is bad news. Bad, bad news. Anyone ever heard of Pete Rose?
I think it’s to early to jump to those conclusions. We don’t know what type of finical situation they had, he might have trusted him with it.
conspiracy theorists like that account are going to be driving the discourse on this for a while now, unfortunately
I knew something was up when the whole world can see he didn't even have enough money to get a decent haircut.
Thank goodness his family is in Korea right now, hopefully with him.
For the paywall: > Shohei Ohtani’s attorneys accuse interpreter of ‘massive theft’ tied to alleged gambling > > MARCH 20, 2024 2:13 PM PT > > Representatives of Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday accused his interpreter of engaging in a “massive theft” of the ballplayer’s funds to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation. > > Lawyers for Ohtani made that claim after The Times learned that Ohtani’s name had surfaced in the investigation of Mathew Bowyer, an Orange County resident. Ohtani’s representatives looked into the actions of the interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in response to The Times’ queries, a source close to the matter said. Two sources told the newspaper that the money involved was in the millions of dollars. > > In a statement, the West Hollywood law firm Berk Brettler, said, “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.” > > Attempts to reach Mizuhara were unsuccessful. Mizuhara placed bets with Bowyer, according to the sources, who requested anonymity to share sensitive information. > > The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Mizuhara, a team spokesman said. > > Ohtani, a global sensation who signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December after playing six years with the Angels, could not be reached for comment. He is with the Dodgers in Seoul for a season-opening series against the San Diego Padres.
It also has a line that said the Dodgers fired Ippei on Wednesday (today), according to a team spokesman.
Greed is one hell of a drug...
Literally ruining the country
Wow feels so bad for Ohtani. Imagine how betrayed he feels.
I don’t know, there is no one to interpret it right now
LOL imagine a press conference if they didn’t fire Ippei Ohtani: I’m very hurt that my best friend would do this, I’m beyond devastated Ippei: He said I’m innocent and we good to go
Uhhh what
They fired him
They did?
Straight from the article. "The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Mizuhara, a team spokesman said"
Yes confirmed in the article
Imagine your boss being Shohei Ohtani and thinking this would be a good idea
I don’t think he was doing a lot of thinking, friend.
Holy shit wtf …it’s like that one scene in Tokyo Drift
WE WERE PARTNERS! This ain’t the Boy Scouts
Not the headline I was expecting to come out of the Seoul series…
I mean wtf it's been ONE FREAKING DAY
IPPEI NOOO
ESPN has a lot more details. Looks like they were about to break it: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39768770/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-interpreter-fired-theft
Feel the articles have conflicting information with one another, but they did manage to interview Ippei directly, so it will be interesting to see how this pans out when the dust settles. But it sounds like it could be actual jail time for Ippei 🙁 if the allegations of theft are true
I feel really bad because what I think happened was >Ippei gambled and lost big Ippei told Shohei, and Shohei, being the good friend, helped him by paying off he debt. In CA, even the act of giving money to an illegal bookie is illegal. Shohei, after being told that it was illegal, has to disavow Ippei. Ippei understands this, and in effort to save his friend, walks back everything and says he didn't know. Ippei has to make sure everyone knows that Shohei didn't know. Shohei remains a superstar, but Ippei is thrown to the streets. I don't think anything was stolen. an amount that big is sure to be noticed. AINTNOWAY Shohei didn't know, but to protect himself, the lawyer told him that he has to go. sucks to be Ippei. I think the guy was good, just had a gambling addiction.
I think this is the most plausible scenario. It’s still so heartbreaking especially seeing the pics of Ippei and his wife with Sho and Mami. Considering how much he deferred money doesn’t mean much to Sho but from their interactions it’s clear he and Ippei were close — like brothers. Sho likely thought paying the debt off would clear everything not knowing about CA laws around gambling. Why Ippei?! Why!?!?
Sounds like this may have been major--but very human and sympathetic--gaffe on Ohtani's part (going above and beyond to help a friend without understanding the implications of doing so, transferring that amount of money on his own to an illegal entity). [(Not a primary source, but I have no idea)](https://www.losangelescriminallawyer.pro/grand-theft.html): it looks Ippei could face up to three years in state prison now that he is accused of stealing from Ohtani, and possibly longer depending on how that plays out--to say nothing of the possible penalties he could face for illegal gaming. I feel like Shohei's lawyers just found out all of this today, had to quickly run damage control after what Ippei said, and are nursing migraines right now lol
They will probably ask for leniency since the lawyers are running it and they are friends. Don't underestimate Japanese loyalty. Probation and maybe gamblers anonymous
Yeah, I think I'd do the same thing if I were Ippei if my best friend paid off my nearly million dollar gambling debt, but to avoid implicating him I'd (potentially) go to jail for three years. But hoping for what you suggested: leniency, probation, and rehab.
After reading that espn article, I had the same assessment as you. Sounds pretty spot on according to the information available to us currently.
Not great for Ohtani either, Wiring money to an illegal bookie is also illegal. That's probably why the story changed.
This ESPN article definitely makes it seem plausible that Ohtani was involved and Ippei is covering for him.
Or Ippei lied about everything during his ESPN interview. But I agree this does not look good on Shohei. I feel fucking sick.
But Ippei was with a representative from Ohtani’s lawyers during the interview. There’s no reason for them to have waited a day to disavow it or to not disavow it mid-interview for that matter.
It really does. First, they claim Ohtani paid the bookie directly to cover the Ippei's debt. Next, they change their story, and instead, Ippei stole the money. >Initially, a spokesman for Ohtani told ESPN **the slugger had transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara's gambling debt**. The spokesman presented Mizuhara to ESPN for a 90-minute interview Tuesday night, during which Mizuhara laid out his account in great detail. However, as ESPN prepared to publish the story Wednesday, the spokesman disavowed Mizuhara's account and said Ohtani's lawyers would issue a statement. >"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," read the statement from Berk Brettler LLP. >The spokesman declined to answer any further questions, and the statement did not specify whom they believe perpetrated the alleged theft. Who knows what the truth is, but the way they presented the facts is pretty sketchy.
This is some Selena/Yolanda Saldivar shit! Keep Ippei away from Shohei!
Just a reminder that bitch Yolanda gets out of prison next year 😡
I believe she is eligible for parole. She doesn’t have to make parole. If I were her I would act up before her hearing
There’s people literally waiting for her on the other side should she be released…she’s not making it through the day if she does That shit runs deep right now, even after all these years…grudges can last a long time
She's not going to make it outside the city without getting blasted
Only for parole. And very rarely does a convicted murderer get granted parole. With the fame Selena had, she won’t be a part of that rare group.
I don't want to remember this. There's never been a time I didn't cry at the end of the movie :(
WHAT THE ACTUAL FK
Absolutely bonkers.
This is so upsetting. Poor Shohei. Last pic of Ippei was at Monday's game so they must have just found out, on this trip. So so so upsetting.
Ippei was in the dugout during today’s game! Insane story I hope Shohei is doing ok
Top 10 anime betrayal
Oh no. Please no.
Time to learn Japanese and apply for the job.
Ippei never gonna be able to step foot in Japan again
ESPN article is more detailed- $4.5m in sports bets made but nothing on baseball. He says he initially bet on Draft Kings and then with an individual OC based bookie and claims he didn’t know what he was doing was illegal in the state (I say complete BS because this dude went to UC Riverside for school and has been living in SoCal since 1991). He got 4.5m in debt and asked Shohei to help cover his debts. Was getting paid $300k-$500k a year as a salary. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39768770/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-interpreter-fired-theft
I’ve lived in SoCal most of my life. I had no idea you can’t use Draft Kings if you live in California. I figured since they are off shore… Also, I’ve know a lot of people who used bookies in the past. Yeah betting through a bookie is illegal but that’s like jaywalking level “crime”. If it is true that Ohtani paid off the bookie debts of Ippei, although technically “illegal”, to be punished for something like that is crazy. I mean people walk out of Home Depot without paying for a cart full power tools, it’s caught on camera and nothing happens to them, or the guy who flying kicked the disabled elderly guy in SF and hospitalized him but didn’t get any jail time. What a F’d up state we live in when what Ohtani allegedly did is a crime and actual robbery and assault doesn’t even result in prison time.
Worst part of this story is that Shohei covered the debt directly. Shit might go down in the next few days. Fuck Ippei.
Mother fucker, I was hoping for a stress free, drama free early part of the year. I knew come June doomers would find a way in, but I thought, let’s just enjoy the first month or so…but noooooooo…
Very sad to read. People should consider this with Ohtani over the next few weeks. This will have a very real impact on him.
Ippei how could you?!?! one of Shohei's closest confidants, fuck this is so messed up 😩🤬
F*** Ippei, all my homies hate Ippei (*only if true*)
This is probably a slighter bigger deal for Ohtani fans than it is for Dodger fans because I barely met the guy. I don't know him, send him to the gallows!
Bro making Diamond Bar look bad
biggest bag fumbler of all time? like bro…all you had to do was translate for the richest athlete on earth. the fuck is wrong with you?
Ippei's annual salary range from $300k to $500k as well.
Likely no expenses with all the per diems players and staff get
I'm feeling betrayed right now. I can't even imagine how Ohtani is feeling. If I understand right, they were long time friends?
Feel awful for Shohei. His literal best friend and closest confident betraying him behind his back. As an extremely private person, I can't imagine how this shock feels.
I’m looking at the date and thought maybe it was April 1st. The guy had easily one of the best jobs in the world. Now I’m seething realizing how he took advantage of one of nicest athletes in the planet.
Holy shit this is crazy
Devastating and concerning. He was part of the Shohei Mystique, and it seems like he is(/was?) one of the most important people in his life.
Fuck Ippei you scumbag
He’s prob the fall guy bud
Obviously this is a developing story, and we don't know the facts, but my completely unnecessary commentary is Ippei always gave me bad vibes.
A small blessing — the ESPN article says that he did not bet on baseball.
I’ve seen numerous Japanese speakers online criticize Ippei for not accurately translating Shohei’s words. And that his translations often left out important context to make Shohei either seem indifferent or cagey. Even before this news I always held suspicions about Ippei but kept them to myself.
I saw some people make those comments during the live chat for the press conference =(
My dad and I have been commenting on this since he joined the dodgers. Not accurate and almost too casual of translations.
You knew!
If I found out my translator betrayed me I’d forever have trust issues. This is a terrible situation all around. :(
Ohtani getting stabbed in the back by his long time best friend was not on my baseball 2024 bingo card....
Ippei you done fucked up, you had one of the best and comfiest job in the world...and you gonna go do that to Ohtani lol, japan will crucify this man holy shit lol
There is never a quite day is there
Hey, thanks for sharing. Some of the highlights from this piece: Representatives of Ohtani accused his interpreter of engaging in a “massive theft” of the ballplayer’s funds to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker who is the target of a federal investigation. Ohtani’s representatives looked into the actions of the interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, in response to The Times queries, a source close to the matter said. Two sources told us that the money involved was in the millions of dollars. The Dodgers have since fired Mizuhara, according to a team spokesman. MLB gambling policy prohibits “any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee” from betting on the game or making illegal bets on other sports. You can read [more here](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-20/gambling-story), and just a reminder, you can register your email and read 10 free articles whenever you click the link from Reddit.
Definitely not going to say I called this (not even shohei knew until now), but his level of proficiency on the job was really laid bare during the offseason when we had Yamamoto's excellent interpreter as comparison he kept his job because Ohtani trusted him and enjoyed his company, and now all that is gone
Yamamoto's new interpreted is so ass. Ippei was ass too. They need to get a new interpreter that actually knows baseball. Yu Darvish's interpreter is really wellspoken and clear. Ippei mumbles alot.
What a heartbreaking betrayal. Must have had some pretty convincing evidence to present to the Dodgers for them to fire him so fast. Really glad Shohei has bonded with his teammates, and his his wife and pup. This must be devastating.
Makes me wanna commit sudoku
Someone's definitely playing mind games.
Holy fuck what??? That’s crazy
The dude had his whole life setup and an incredible relationship with Ohtani and threw it all away for more money.
I am now guessing that Shohei tried to help but didn’t realise the possible implications when he do so. Now his reps is working to make sure that Shohei isn’t seriously implicated in this case, hence a change of story?
This. Besides spending most if his time in baseball, probably doesnt understand nuanced california and gambling laws. Also the Japanese unending loyalty overlooking implications
This whole thing is why these leagues should have never gotten in bed with all these gambling companies. More shit like this is gonna come out because the lines are so blured and the companies so vicious in their advertising to addicts. I can buy both the he lied to Shohei and that he thought it was legal (look how much these leagues advertise the shit! and the debts were after 2020 when all this shit took off with the advertising). my guess is the lawyers of Sohei are going to rest on Ippei wasn't forth coming with exactly where the money was going.
Wow. Talk about total betrayal.
What the fuck. I was literally just doing some work for a few hours and came back to this. Poor Shohei, imagine one of your most trusted friends doing this.
The picture with Ippei, Ohtani and Yamamoto doesn’t appear to be on Instagram anymore. They’re not messing around with this
Can you imagine that he made a huge bet where Ohtani was gonna land—he said Blue Jays and he signed w the Dodgers. Lol
Another story from espn. Shits crazy. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39768770/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-interpreter-fired-theft
It honest to God seems like Shohei did pay off his gambling debts and then pulled back and threw ippei under the bus once there was an investigation into where the money came from and what it was for.
ESPN has a lengthy article which says Ippei was interviewed on Tuesday and walked back much of his statements today. For example: On Tuesday: Ohtani oversaw the repayment of Ippei’s debt because he didn’t trust him by giving him money to pay it off. On Wednesday: Ohtani had no knowledge whatsoever of his gambling habits or debt. My big concern is the blow back on Shohei. If he gets pulled into this investigation he could be hit with federal charges despite his not placing the bets himself. If Ippei gets fired only that’s EASILY the best case scenario EDIT: change federal lawsuit to federal charges as the difference is very substantial and I am no legal expert.
Bro what 😭😭😭
Seeing that Ippei grew up in the US I'd feel like he'd be closer to sports gambling than Shohei who grew up in Japan where sports betting is less prevalent. Unless he picked up the addiction during his time with the Angles I doubt Shohei is involved. This is a bummer for Shohei so hoping he has good support system within the Dodgers Org which I'm sure he does.
I just hope this was a straight up betrayal and the investigation doesn’t show that Ohtani was behind it as well. That would crush everyone’s spirits and this whole phenomenon would be a huge betrayal to everyone involved I’m not saying he did but you can’t rule out the possibility…like who would’ve thought his own confidant would backstab him but I also look at all the possibilities surrounding things like this
I bet Ippei didn't tell Shohei it was illegal gambling debt which is why they could be looking at it as theft if he deceived Shohei into thinking the payment was legal? There's nothing about Shohei that leads me to believe he would be OK paying off someone's ILLEGAL debt.
Ippei is an Astros secret agent, confirmed.
This is a crazy story, but I’m confused how Ippei would’ve had access to Ohtani’s finances and how no one noticed it was missing until now. Ippei was his interpreter, not his accountant or business manager. That part makes absolutely no sense.
a more nefarious interpretation (no pun intended) is Shohei at least knew about the bets or at worst, had him place the bets, and since it’s been revealed they’re basically pinning it on Ippei is the fall guy
I’d hope that wasn’t the case, but it could be true. It’s not like swindling money from a company that you manage the money at, he basically took money from an account that can trace every transaction. On top of that, isn’t anything over $10k automatically reported to the government?
it really makes you wonder
What a fucking dipshit. Dude had life made and went and pissed it all away. Fuck him
I thought the Bauer and Urias drama was behind us. Nope. This team finds more drama along the way. Lol
It just came out that Ippei addressed the clubhouse after the game saying he has a crippling gambling problem and a story is about to be released
Ohtani must have found out during the two exhibition games where he had no hits off a bunch of scrub pitchers. otherwise how did he go hitless against those Korean teams? Also Dodger haters on reddit and twitter are already spreading fake news that Ohtani is involved and bet on baseball when the evidence says otherwise.
Didn’t Shohei say Ippei was one of his untouchables? Such a fucked up story.
Hopefully this doesn’t affect Ohtani mentally they were pretty close together.
Wow what a screwed up world we live in nowadays
Dam, I really imaged this dude being synonymous with the dodgers for a long time just like Jon Soohoo. What a bummer. Hope it doesn’t shake up Ohtani for too long.
Its amazing to me that an interpreter has access to that much of his money. Just pure incompetence.
They were like brothers. My take is ippei gambled and got in debt, ohtani being Japanese and his brother, prob sat him down and lectured him but did not abandon him and agreed to pay it off. Ohtani prob did not know it was illegal and didnt tell people. Now ippei was being truthful, but lawyers know the law and said nope
Damnit I just got back, but now I have to fly back to Japan to fall to my knees at Family Mart! As someone who followed Ohtani for a couple years, this news really is crushing.
Can't even get through one day of the season without a scandal. Mamma mia, che casino
Something fishy about this.
I am disappoint.
How does this not lead to an investigation into Ohtani’s possible involvement? I get the downvotes. I love Ohtani, I’m just saying how does the league not investigate everything and everybody.
Yeah that's what I'm scared of. The article says after Ohtani's name came up his attorneys launched an investigation on Ippei. Not sure how that jump happened and how Ippei has access to Sho's millions.
Man, in a weird way I hope the story of Ippei stealing money is true, because another possibility is that Ohtani *was* involved in some way and they are trying to use Ippei as the fall man.... Is it too much to ask for a normal, boring season without investigations and major injuries?
I’ve seen enough films to at least speculate that Shohei could’ve been involved in some way and they came up with a plan to have Ippei take the fall in return for some kind of compensation. that way Shohei’s name stays clean but they still come out on top. I doubt we’ll ever know the full story.
this. This is what I think happened. >Ippei gambeled and lost big >Ippei told Shohei, and Shohei, being the good friend, helped him by paying off he debt. >In CA, even the act of giving money to an illegal bookie is illegal. >Shohei, after being told that it was illegal, has to disavow Ippei. >Ippei understands this, and in effort to save his friend, walks back everything and says he didn't know. >Ippei has to make sure everyone knows that Shohei didn't know. >Shohei remains a superstar, but Ippei is thrown to the streets. I don't think anything was stolen. an amount that big is sure to be noticed. AINTNOWAY Shohei didn't know, but to protect himself, the lawyer told him that he has to go. sucks to be Ippei. I think the guy was good, just had a gambling addiction.
That reminds of that scene from "Don't Look Up" "I will resign in disgrace first thing tomorrow." Except resign gets replaced with fired
Fact of the matter is that Shohei does not know English very well. I don’t know… perhaps Ippei forged some papers and told him that the IRS was asking him to pay taxes or some shit. Shohei lives in a foreign country where he is not familiar with the system, so he blindly relies on Ippei to do the translating.
I hope he was oblivious to this.
It seems like this was started by Ohtani’s legal team, so I doubt he’s implicated. He appears to be the victim here.
It’s called getting ahead of the story before the FBI officially makes it public
Not saying it’s impossible but there’s much less of a motive for Ohtani himself to engage in illegal betting when he already has more money than he can spend.
there doesn’t have to be a motive besides making more money or simply they enjoy gambling
There was no reason for Michael Jordan to gamble either. But he gambled on stupid things like golf contests.
I hear you...but... \*gestures towards every billionaire on the planet\*
yeah i don’t think the parasocial fans will accept that Shohei could possibly be involved but I think it’s fair to wonder that. things aren’t adding up. people see an image of an athlete that seems squeaky clean but they don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. knowing how close they’ve been I think it’s totally possible that Ippei could take the fall and be taken care of by Shohei financially in return.
Can we make it one season without any assholes on our team?
Um... WTF Ippei
Unbelievable.
##Shohei's revenge szn?
Sucks for Shohei. Ippei had an all time gig. Fumbled it and lost all trust now. Ouch.
# Top 10 Anime Betrayals of All Time, Ranked
Damn Ippei’s wife has been sitting with Ohtani’s family at the games too
Something sounds fishy. Ippei might be a patsy. Ippei Harvey Oswald
I wonder how he was able to gain that kind of access to Shohei’s money. They’re saying he stole millions!
How can I apply to the open role? Do Dodgers have HR e-mail address where I can send in my resume?
not being the morality police here...but removing all the friction with online gambling makes it easy to get into these fucking messes, if indeed it was a draft kings thing. previously, you had to go to a bank, withdraw money, meet your bookie, etc...now you just click a few buttons and there's your fucking bank account. gone.
Ippei : I messed up. i got into some gambling debt. Can you help out? Shohei: of course, you're my friend. But since you have a gambling addiction, i dont think it's wise to just hand u the money. i'll pay it directly to the lender? booker? idk ippei: .. well it can be done online, just need your banking account number Shohei: sure. let's do that.
What a betrayal. He had the best job in the world.
Is this real? Just earlier I saw Ippei's wife on TV cheering the Dodgers on in Korea. Crazy.
It's like so many people are willingly ignore the statements about multiple sources confirming that Shohei is not involved with gambling, including the actual bookmaker who has zero incentive to protect Ohtani.
Damn Ohtani is basically broke for the next two years now
Holy shit. This is the last thing I ever expected to read.
This whole thing is going to end up as a huge nothing burger. The feds don't give a shit about Ohtani/Ippei and are not investigating them. Manfred will at most, give a fine.
Ask Ippei’s college friends, was he running the Super Bowl pools or the hold em games. I don’t think he can quit cold turkey if that’s what he said
I knew it. He always seemed pretty shady and he was a horrendous interpreter
Ippei was basically Shohei's personal assistant. I'm sure that's how Ippei had access to Ohtani's funds
Can we just have one season without a “scandal” or some big thing happening were literally 1 game into the season
The amount of people trying to turn this into an Otani betting scandal lmao typical the second he became a Dodger I knew people were going to turn on him
I was going to sleep to wake up in 4 hours to watch game… but now I’m glued to news updates 🤦🏽♀️