Shohei Ohtani’s former translator, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly stole more than $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to pay off millions of dollars in gambling debts, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
The office filed a criminal complaint against Suwon on Thursday and said Ohtani was unaware of the fraud and was considered a victim in the case.
The office said the bets were not on baseball games.
Suwon has been Otani’s translator for many years. During this time, the attorney’s office discovered that Suwon had full access to Daegu’s bank account. The office said phone records showed he accessed the messages online and lied to the bank impersonating Ohtani. He refused to provide Ohtani’s attorneys and other advisers access to those accounts.
The complaint states that on March 20, 2024, Suwon admitted to the bookmaker via encrypted text message that he had stolen money from Dagu. “Technically, I did steal from him. It’s all over for me,” he wrote.
“He had unique financial access due to a position of trust, which he exploited and abused to take advantage of Mr. Ohtani,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada.
Suwon has been the subject of a federal investigation since November 2021 involving millions of dollars in wire transfers from Daegu’s bank account to illegal bookmakers.
Lawyers for Ohtani, Mizuhara and the Dodgers declined immediate comment on the allegations.
When the Ohtani fraud was first discovered, the Justice Department was investigating illegal sports betting operations in Southern California and the laundering of proceeds from those operations through Las Vegas casinos. The investigation resulted in criminal charges and/or convictions against 12 criminal defendants, according to the indictment.
While sports betting is legal in 38 states and Washington, D.C., it is illegal in California, leading some bettors to operate illegally.
The water charges carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and are expected to appear in court in the coming days.
Estrada said Suwon deposited the winnings into his own bank account.
Despite owing bookmakers millions of dollars in losses, Mizuwon repeatedly asked them to increase his betting limits.
“Not good,” he texted the bookmaker. “Are you ever going to touch me again? You know, you don’t have to worry about me not paying!!”
By November 2023, Suwon’s debt had become serious. He messaged the same bookmaker saying he had lost a lot of money on cryptocurrency investments over the past few years and had also taken a huge hit on sports betting.
“Is there any way to determine the amount? I’ve lost a lot of stuff on the website… of course I know it’s my fault,” he said.
Law enforcement officials said Ohtani has been fully cooperative and allowed them access to his electronic devices.
Ohtani told officials that he believed his accountants and financial advisors were monitoring his accounts and that because he received income from foreign and domestic sources, he generally would not ask about specific accounts but rather about the overall picture of his investments. However, due to language barriers, financial agents and advisors communicate through Mizuhara, which is translated to clients.
At a press conference on March 25, Ohtani said he had just learned of the theft and said he was saddened, shocked and betrayed by someone he trusted.
“I have never bet on baseball, or any other sport, and I have never asked anyone to do it on my behalf,” Ohtani said through another interpreter.
Suwon had previously said Daegu was aware of the debts and was helping him pay them off. He later retracted those remarks.
Ohtani is one of the greatest stars in Major League Baseball (MLB). The 29-year-old Japanese-born pitcher signed a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers on December 9 after six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani is the only MLB player to win an American League championship Two unanimous MVP votes Also the first Japanese-born player to lead the major leagues home run.
If Ohtani is found to be involved, he may violate Major League Baseball Gambling Policy. Penalties range from a one-season suspension to permanent disqualification.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Shohei Ohtani’s name.
About The Author
