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Tisha Thompson
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Tisha Thompson
ESPN
Tisha Thompson is an investigative reporter for ESPN based in Washington, DC. Her work has been published on all platforms nationally and internationally. -
Paula Lavigne
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Paula Lavigne
ESPN Staff Writer
- Data Analyst and Reporter for ESPN Enterprise and Research.
- Winner of the 2014 Alfred I. DuPont Columbia University Award. 2012 IRE Broadcast Award Finalist. Winner of the 2011 Gannett Foundation Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism. Nominated for an Emmy Award in 2009.
A representative for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani on Tuesday again declined to answer ESPN's questions about which authorities he contacted to report the theft allegations against Ohtani's former interpreter.
ESPN has repeatedly requested information since Ohtani's attorney first issued a statement last week claiming that “Shohei was the victim of grand theft and we will turn this matter over to the authorities.”
On Tuesday, when asked to provide evidence that Ohtani or his representatives had reported the theft to law enforcement agencies, a spokesperson for Ohtani declined to comment.
ESPN has not received confirmation that Ohtani's camp has received a report from any local, state or federal agency that could investigate the theft allegations.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday that it is working with the IRS to investigate Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, but is it investigating Ohtani's theft charges or whether Ohtani's He did not say whether he had been contacted by a representative.
“The Los Angeles Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office are conducting a joint federal investigation into this matter,” a spokesperson told ESPN in a statement. He said he was referring to a “investigation''. The agency wrote that it could not comment further on the ongoing investigation.
ESPN previously confirmed to IRS spokesman Scott Billiard that the agency was investigating Mizuhara and bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, but Billiard said the IRS had contacted Ohtani's representative. He declined to say whether he had received it.
The Department of Homeland Security, the IRS and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California have been investigating Bowyer since at least October, according to multiple sources and documents reviewed by ESPN. The same agency is also involved in a massive federal money laundering and illegal gambling case involving former minor league baseball player and bookmaker Wayne Nix and former MLB All-Star Yasiel Puig.
It is unclear whether the authorities' investigation into Mizuwon is part of a broader investigation or how Otani's theft allegations fit into the picture.
