How much money did Ippei Mizuhara gamble? Breaking down Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter's illegal bets

Following Shohei Ohtani's press conference after the Seoul Series, his betting scandal finally took a backseat. However, recent developments have pushed it back into the headlines.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole $16 million from his bank account. Per the federal prosecutor, Mizuhara began placing bets with Matthew Bowyer in September 2021. Subsequent investigation revealed that about 19,000 bets were made between December 2021 and January 2024.

The average bet size was $12,800, with the total winning amount close to $142.2 million. However, Mizuhara's losses amounted to $182.9 million, resulting in a net loss of $40.7 million.

Prosecutors further alleged that Mizuhara placed an average of 25 bets on average for $320K per day. The winnings were deposited in his bank account.

Bob Nightengale shared the detailed investigation findings on X (formerly Twitter).

Moreover, the prosecutor claimed that Mizuhara transferred around $15 million to Bowyer from Shohei Ohtani's bank account.

The investigation also found that, apart from gambling activities, Mizuhara used Ohtani's bank account to pay for shopping. He reportedly spent $325K on eBay and another platform, WhatNot. The U.S. Attorney's office of California's Central District said in a statement that Mizuhara intended to collect more than 1,000 baseball collectibles and then resell them for a higher value.

Ippei Mizuhara hijacked Shohei Ohtani's bank account

Following the betting and subsequent theft allegation, questions arose about how Shohei Ohtani remained unaware as millions evaporated from his bank accounts.

However, the latest findings suggest that Ippei Mizuhara manipulated Ohtani's bank account to prevent the Dodgers from receiving any updates or confirmations.

According to The Ringer, Mizuhara linked his phone number and an anonymous email account with the bank account. The evidence is the call records that Mizuhara made to the bank, portraying himself to be speaking on behalf of Ohtani, to authorize wire transfers and, in one case, fraudulently claiming it to be for a car loan.

According to the New York Times, Ippei Mizuhara is negotiating a guilty plea and has hired trial attorney Michael Freedman for his defense. However, there is no confirmation on the same from either party.