Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's agent on Wednesday accused his interpreter of “grand theft” of the player's funds to place bets with an allegedly illegal bookmaker that is the subject of a federal investigation. did.
Ohtani's attorney made the claim after the Times learned that his name had come up in the investigation of Orange County resident Matthew Bowyer. According to sources, Otani's agent investigated the actions of interpreter Ippei Mizuhara in response to questions from the Times. Two people involved told the newspaper that the funds involved were in the millions of dollars.
“In the course of responding to recent media interviews, we discovered that Shohei was the victim of a grand theft and have decided to refer this matter to authorities,” West Hollywood law firm Burke Buttler said in a statement. said.
The attempt to reach Suwon ended in failure. It is unclear whether he has retained a lawyer.
Mizuhara made a bet with Bowyer, who requested anonymity to share confidential information, the people said.
The Dodgers waived Mizuhara on Wednesday, a team spokesperson said. One of the people said Mizuhara was not telling the truth when asked about the Times investigation. He was also working as an interpreter for Otani in Seoul on Wednesday.
Ohtani, the global sensation who signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December after six years with the Angels, could not be reached for comment. He will be with the Dodgers in Seoul for the season-opening series against the San Diego Padres.
Major League Baseball has not been contacted by prosecutors, a spokesperson said.
Irvine-based attorney Diane Bass said Bowyer has not been charged with a crime. Federal agents searched Bowyer's San Juan Capistrano home last year as part of the investigation.
Bass told the Times that Bowyer had no contact with Ohtani. “Matthew Bowyer has never met, spoken to, texted, or had any contact with Shohei Ohtani,” she said.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles, which is overseeing the investigation, did not respond to a request for comment.
MLB's gambling policy prohibits “players, umpires, club or league officials or employees” from betting on games or making illegal bets on other sports. Punishments for gambling with illegal bookmakers or their agents are not specified in MLB rules, but are subject to “penalties that the Commissioner deems appropriate given the facts and circumstances of the conduct.”
The investigation into Bowyer involves the same team of prosecutors that targeted a multimillion-dollar illegal sports betting scheme based in Orange County, according to Times sources and court records. At least a dozen people, including former Dodger Yasiel Puig, who has pleaded not guilty, have been charged in a wide-ranging investigation centered on the Booking operation led by former Newport Beach minor league baseball player Wayne Nix, records show. It was done.
Sources told the Times that Bowyer bragged to colleagues in Las Vegas about his ties to Ohtani. Officials said Bowyer did this for “marketing purposes” for his alleged book production business.
After the Times published the story, ESPN reported that an unnamed Ohtani spokesperson earlier told a sports outlet that Ohtani was covering Mizuhara's gambling debts with Bowyer. Ta. A spokesperson later made Mizuhara available in an interview about what happened at the time, but he later disavowed the account, according to ESPN.
Mizuhara was born in Japan and raised in Southern California. He graduated from Diamond Bar High School in 2003 and played soccer on his team.
Mr. Mizuhara first met Otani when he was working as an English interpreter for American players for Otani's Japan professional baseball league team, the Nippon-Ham Fighters.
When Ohtani signed with the Angels at the end of 2017, Mizuhara became his personal translator. Mizuhara followed Ohtani to the Dodgers during the offseason.
Mizuhara has been a constant companion to the extremely private Ohtani throughout the player's MLB career. The two always drive to the stadium together. Suwon went on a grocery run when Ohtani was injured. They are rarely seen falling apart around the team facility. Their wives recently spent time together during the team's trip to South Korea and appear to have started dating.
In recent years, Ohtani has become the face of Major League Baseball and one of the most famous athletes in the world. Before signing with the Dodgers, Ohtani was the most sought-after free agent in baseball history, and his huge contract was similarly unprecedented.
Bowyer has appeared in numerous court documents over the years. That includes a $1.75 million judgment against him for defaulting on a line of credit (or “marker” in gambling parlance) issued to him by the Foxwoods Resort Casino, a tribal gaming facility in Connecticut. The tribal court issued its ruling in April 2019. Lawyers for the casino filed a motion for a ruling in Orange County Superior Court in May 2023. Lawyers for the casino said they were not satisfied with the ruling.
Aria Resort and Casino in Las Vegas claimed in a lawsuit filed in July 2011 that Bowyer bounced a $250,000 check to the property. The case was dismissed six months later.
Times staff writers Dylan Hernandez and Jack Harris contributed to this report.
