More details have emerged in the investigation of Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, for allegedly stealing millions from the two-time MVP to cover illegal gambling debts.
In a federal complaint filed Thursday, Mizuhara was accused of bank fraud in the theft of more than $16 million from Ohtani, a figure significantly more than the $4.5 million from initial reports in March. His debts with the illegal bookmaker were even more, according to the complaint, reaching more than $40 million on a total of more than $180 million in losing bets.
As one might imagine, it takes a healthy (or not) amount of betting to top $180 million in losses, and those details are included too. According to Front Office Sports, Mizuhara placed 19,000 bets between December 2021 and January 2024 for an average of about $12,800 per bet.
Ippei Mizuhara's account placed about 19,000 wagers between Dec. 2021-Jan. 2024, according to the complaint.
Average wager: About $12,800
Largest wager: About $160,000
Smallest wager: About $10
Total losing bets: $182.9 million
Net losses: $40.7 millionhttps://t.co/p5teofefNx pic.twitter.com/medlULVuMv— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 11, 2024
The complaint apparently cleared Mizuhara of betting on baseball, per the FOS report, but it’s still not clear what he did bet on. ESPN reported in March that Mizuhara had bet on international soccer, among other sports.
