Attorney for alleged bookmaker tied to Shohei Ohtani theft case speaks out
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer – but not baseball.
The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details.
Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well over $1 million. The news broke hours after Ohtani’s anticipated debut with the Dodgers in South Korea, where Mizuhara was constantly by the $700 million megastar’s side.
“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,” Ohtani’s law firm, Berk Brettler LLP, said in a statement Wednesday. The firm declined further comment the next day.
Sports gambling is illegal in California, even as 38 states and the District of Columbia allow some form of it. The Associated Press was unable reach Mizuhara for comment. It was not clear if he had hired an attorney.
