Shohei Ohtani entered spring training ready for a fresh start with a winning team after landing a $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason. Ohtani also brought his longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara with him to the Dodgers. Mizuhara was seemingly a trustworthy interpreter for Ohtani, but that proved to be false based on the latest allegations.
In March, reports surfaced about Mizuhara being linked to an illegal gambling scandal. Rumors swirled about Ohtani's potential involvement, but the Dodgers star addressed the media in late March and said he has never bet on sports and accused Mizuhara of lying and stealing. Following an investigation into the matter, it was recently revealed that Mizuhara stole around $16 million from Ohtani.
Mizuhara was ultimately accused of bank fraud and surrendered to law enforcement on Friday, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. Gonzalez also provided an update on what may be next for Ohtani's former interpreter.
“Ippei Mizuhara surrendered to law enforcement this morning and is in federal custody. He is scheduled to appear in L.A. court at 1 p.m. PT. The expectation, according to what I was told yesterday, is that he will be let out on bond at that point,” Gonzalez wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Ippei Mizuhara's downfall
It has been a whirlwind past couple of months for Mizuhara and Ohtani. There were multiple concerning allegations against Mizuhara that were reported on Thursday. A text message he allegedly sent to a California bookmaker was especially disturbing. (Text provided via Paula Lavigne of ESPN)
“I'm terrible at this sport betting thing huh? Lol . . . Any chance u can bump me again?? As you know, you don't have to worry about me not paying!!” Mizuhara allegedly wrote in a text to the bookmaker in 2022.
Yet, just a couple of months ago, Mizuhara was an emerging celebrity for extremely different reasons. He was the likable interpreter for MLB's biggest star. Both Ohtani and Mizuhara received recognition with the Los Angeles Angels, but their move to the Dodgers was only going to put them in the national spotlight on a more consistent basis.
Mizuhara attended Ohtani's introductory press conference and spent most of spring training working alongside the two-way phenom as an interpreter. Then, however, news broke of the gambling scandal while the Dodgers were in South Korea for MLB's Opening Series on March 20 and March 21.
And we know how the rest of the story goes.
As Gonzalez reported, Mizuhara will appear in Los Angeles court at 1 PM PST. He is reportedly expected to be let out on bond. It is not certain what the future will hold for Ippei Mizuhara after Friday's events.
As for Shohei Ohtani, the Dodgers star is surely ready to place his focus purely on baseball and continue helping Los Angeles win games.
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