The revelations of illegal gambling by Ohtani and his alter ego, Ippei Mizuhara, have shocked both the United States and Japan, and the prospect of punishment for Ohtani is not out of the question.
“Shohei Ohtani’s longtime friend and interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has been fired by the Dodgers after questions arose about at least $4.5 million (about 6 billion won) transferred from Ohtani’s account,” EPSN reported on Jan. 21.
EPSN reports, “The incident occurred while federal investigators were looking into Matthew Boyer, who runs a Southern California gambling operation. Large sums of money were found to have been transferred from Ohtani’s account to Boyer’s associates. Mizuhara and others involved said that Ohtani was not gambling and that he was making the transfers to pay off Mizuhara’s gambling debts,” said Mizuhara. 토토사이트 Bank records and interviews show that two wire transfers totaling $1 million were made to Boyer in Ohtani’s name.
EPSN noted that Mizuhara owed large gambling debts to Southern California gambling establishments.
Otani’s spokesperson arranged an interview with Mizuhara for EPSN, which lasted about 90 minutes.
Mizuhara told EPSN that he had previously placed sports bets through DraftKings, which led him to believe that Boyer’s business was legitimate. He went on to say that his gambling debt had grown to $4.5 million and that he asked Ohtani to pay it off. “He obviously didn’t like the request. He said he would help me to prevent this from happening again. I want everyone to know that Ohtani was not involved in the betting. I didn’t know it was illegal and I will never bet on sports again.” O
As for why Ohtani sent the money directly to Boyer instead of giving it to Mizuhara, he said that Ohtani did not trust him with money matters, “He didn’t want me to gamble (with the money).”
However, as EPSN was preparing its report, Mizuhara changed his story and said, “Ohtani had no knowledge of his gambling debts and never transferred large sums of money on his behalf.”
According to EPSN, Mizuhara’s gambling began in 2021, when he met Boyer, a bookie, while playing poker and betting on foreign soccer games and other sports, not baseball. Boyer knew who was sending him money, but he didn’t care as long as the debt was repaid. Instead, he made people believe that Ohtani was also using Boyer’s company to promote his gambling business.
“Sports betting is legal in about 40 states, but it’s still illegal in California,” he says, noting that the chances of prosecution are high.
Once the money was deposited into the account in Ohtani’s name, it was inevitable that he would be investigated, either directly or indirectly.
“Depending on the circumstances, transferring funds to an illegal bookmaker can raise legal issues because you are aiding an illegal enterprise, engaging in wire fraud or money laundering, legal experts say,” the LA Times reported, adding that “stealing millions of dollars, as Ohtani’s camp accuses Mizuhara, is a clear crime.
Mizuhara had said that Ohtani was not involved in gambling at all, but his statement was reversed. Otani’s defense lawyers immediately called it grand theft. However, they emphasized that if Ohtani knew about Mizuhara’s gambling debts and was involved in the transfer, he could be punished.
The LA Times quoted gambling law professor Nelson Rose as saying. “If you paid the debt knowing it was illegal gambling, you could face significant penalties under federal law. There are federal laws that say that if you help an illegal gambler collect a debt, you are in effect engaged in the business of gambling. Even if he was just sending money to help a friend, that means he knew he had to pay the bookie’s debt,” he said, raising the possibility of punishment for Ohtani.
Major League Baseball has a very strict policy on gambling.
It’s a lesson learned from past Black Sox scandals and the case of legendary player Pete Rose. Players, umpires, and coaching staff who bet on games involving them are suspended indefinitely; those who bet on games not involving them are suspended for one year; and those who are involved, such as running an illegal gambling operation, are suspended for one year.
Ohtani and Mizuhara were scheduled to accompany the team for the MLB World Tour Seoul Series, which ran from July 17-21. However, Mizuhara was fired from the Dodgers organization after Game 1 of the opening series against San Diego and before news of his gambling broke.
Mizuhara, who became acquainted with Ohtani in 2013 when he worked as Chris Martin’s interpreter for the Nippon Ham Fighters, was hired by the Los Angeles Angels in 2018 when Ohtani signed with the organization. Since then, he has traveled with Ohtani as his de facto personal manager, sharing the spotlight with him. 파워볼게임 He was the person Ohtani relied on the most throughout his major league career and was integral to his rise to stardom.
However, his dabbling in illegal gambling crossed an irreversible river with Ohtani. This, coupled with the allegations of lying, has made it even more interesting to see what happens next and what the investigation will find.