It never looked possible until Shohei Ohtani did it—ending this season with 54 homers, stealing 59 bases, and crossing the 50-50 threshold grandly. Ohtani’s relationship with interpreter Ippei Mizuhara marked an immense level of trust that played a major role in his success. However, it also hindered their communication and created a possibility for something unpredictable: Mizuhara was fired after allegations of a theft scandal, reportedly transferring money from Ohtani’s account to pay debts.

Shohei Ohtani later revealed that the massive scandal involving his former interpreter left him heartbroken. Moreover, he has not yet managed to move on from the incident, which continues to affect his emotions deeply. Ohtani’s friendship with Ippei was built on mutual respect until the $4.5 million was transferred from his account to a bookmaker; this breach of trust jeopardized their relationship and left Ohtani saddened following such a betrayal.

Shohei Ohtani left heartbroken after the shocking betrayal by his close friend

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani opened up on the NHK special “Major Leaguer Shohei Ohtani 2024: Trials, Decisions, and the Journey to the Top” on December 29, remarking, “For me, it’s not over yet. It’s still ongoing. It’s not about what it was like at the time, but it feels like it’s been going on forever.” Ohtani’s comments clearly showed his heartbroken state, despite ending the season with a World Series victory. He noted that this was not a recent issue, as he has maintained a great relationship with the interpreter since they first met in 2013.

Ippei has been by the baseball superstar’s side since 2018, and they both maintained cordiality despite having differences in language. However, things took a major turn when he was accused of stealing approximately $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar. To clarify the controversy surrounding his interpreter and close friend, Shohei Ohtani stated that he has never engaged in any sports betting, completely unaware of Mizuhara’s actions that involved the transfer of millions of dollars from his account to pay off debts.

Furthermore, Mizuhara’s connections with Mathew Bowyer led to placing bets and later transferring $4.5 million to pay the bookmaker. Sports betting has been illegal in California, and the MLB has its own rules. Now, Mizuhara has sought help from Ohtani to deal with the gambling bets to which he agreed, leaving the future of the translator uncertain.

Is there a way for Ippei Mizuhara to survive after pleading guilty?

Things do not look good for former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. Guilty in a theft scandal, his association with Mathew Bowyer, a bookmaker who placed bets with Mizuhara, has drawn significant criticism and disappointment from various fraternities. The authorities have already executed a search warrant for the phones, computers, and other electronic devices that were used for illegal business activities and involved betting on the results of sporting events. Reportedly, this illegal betting business continued for a minimum of five years and included more than 700 betters.

Due to Mizuhara’s involvement in this large scandal, the prosecutors accused him of placing a huge number of bets using the money stolen from Shohei Ohtani. The total losses for the bets placed by him raked up to $40,679,000, as per the affidavit. Now, considering that he agreed to steal money from Ohtani’s account, Mizuhara seemed to be a part of the larger probe that involved illegal gambling activities.

While the insufficient evidence of Shohei Ohtani authorizing these account transfers puts all the blame on Mizuhara, who now faces a federal charge of fraud, Ohtani’s decision to assist him shows the trust he has in him and may even provide a second chance. On the other hand, problems have escalated for Bowyer as he admitted falsely making reports of his taxable income to the IRS in a plea agreement. While the tax return showed only $607,897 in income, his unreported income was around $4,030,938 from his illegal gambling activities.

So, it is very unlikely for Mizuhara to get away and evade the consequences of his actions. As for Bowyer, he might face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for money laundering, up to five years for illegal gambling, and an additional three years for filing a false tax return. Do you think Shohei Ohtani’s stance can help Mizuhara’s case? Share your take in the comments below.