OT: Ohtani's Interpreter fired, used Ohtani's money to pay gambling debts.

[Optms]

Your theory lacks any logic. Why would Ippei need to be the fall guy when it would have resulted in just a slap on the wrist, even if Ohtani was the one betting? Now, Ippei risks prison time because of theft, and Ohtani is going to be in serious trouble if the feds find out he's making false accusations.

This is the same guy that deferred the majority of his money, but we somehow believe his a denegerate gambler? He also forfeited like 200 million dollars by coming 2 years early.

Ohtani would not get a slap on the wrist. That's an odd assumption you're making based on a league whom, to this day, still won't even acknowledge one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game precisely because of gambling.

[Shock Defeat]

MLB wants to finish this investigation quickly which is code for they want to sweep this under the rug ASAP. If only Jontay Porter had an interpreter, or maybe if he was the NBA's biggest star, he would still be playing tomorrow.

[alebaba]

Your theory lacks any logic. Why would Ippei need to be the fall guy when it would have resulted in just a slap on the wrist, even if Ohtani was the one betting? Now, Ippei risks prison time because of theft, and Ohtani is going to be in serious trouble if the feds find out he's making false accusations.

This is the same guy that deferred the majority of his money, but we somehow believe his a denegerate gambler? He also forfeited like 200 million dollars by coming 2 years early.

Ohtani would not get a slap on the wrist. That's an odd assumption you're making based on a league whom, to this day, still won't even acknowledge one of the greatest hitters to ever play the game precisely because of gambling.

You do know that in 2015, there was an MLB player who bet on other sports and was fined $50k, that's it, no suspension. It's hilarious to me because you are the one assuming lol

Pete Rose literally bet on baseball, so what are you tryin to say?

[salmonleg]

Straight cap. This is a dude who bypassed large chunk of his contract upfront which most athletes wouldn't dare to do. Why would he risk his entire legacy for a tiny fraction of his contract by betting on games he couldve just recieved upfront? Use some logic.[/quote]

Here’s the logic, if he has a bad gambling Jones it’s just like a drug addiction. It’s not about the money, it’s about the juice, the buzz…

[wco81]

He deferred his contract because he has a lot of income outside of his baseball salary, right?

Must be ridiculously rich just from endorsements in Japan.

What's the gambling situation in Japan, are there apps?

[Chokic]

Straight cap. This is a dude who bypassed large chunk of his contract upfront which most athletes wouldn't dare to do. Why would he risk his entire legacy for a tiny fraction of his contract by betting on games he couldve just recieved upfront? Use some logic.

Here’s the logic, if he has a bad gambling Jones it’s just like a drug addiction. It’s not about the money, it’s about the juice, the buzz…[/quote]


You cant make a general assumption of a person's character unless said person has given us a reason or reasons to do so. Believing that ohtani gambled and not his interpreter makes absolutely no sense logically. Especially when hes shown from his past that hes not greedy for money(deferring his contract and even giving his entire salary to his mother while he was playing in japan dedicating his life to his craft he wouldn't dare jeopardize his legacy by betting on baseball).

More than likely when the facts come out Ohtani paid off his friend/interpreter gambling debt to an illegal bookie w/o knowing the potential legal ramifications. Once ohtanis lawyer got a hold of his clients possible suspension due to infraction of cba they went w/ his interpreter stole the money. All in all ohtani is not totally innocent but he was trying to be a good friend by bailing him out and the interpreter irresponsible behavior w/ his gambling put ohtani in a terrible predicament.

[alebaba]

Straight cap. This is a dude who bypassed large chunk of his contract upfront which most athletes wouldn't dare to do. Why would he risk his entire legacy for a tiny fraction of his contract by betting on games he couldve just recieved upfront? Use some logic.

Here’s the logic, if he has a bad gambling Jones it’s just like a drug addiction. It’s not about the money, it’s about the juice, the buzz…[/quote]

A gambling addict would not defer all of his salary if he were truly an addict. The bet was on college basketball and soccer, making zero sense for him to bet on college basketball. Here's a known fact: Ippei is a huge soccer fan and actually wanted to be a casino dealer but failed.

This is the same guy who gave his mom all of his salary while he played in Japan. His mom gave him very little allowance. The dude ended up barely spending any of it, and ate facility food and stayed at a team facility, that's it. Somehow, the guy turns into a degenerate gambler after living in America? lol

[alebaba]

Straight cap. This is a dude who bypassed large chunk of his contract upfront which most athletes wouldn't dare to do. Why would he risk his entire legacy for a tiny fraction of his contract by betting on games he couldve just recieved upfront? Use some logic.

More than likely when the facts come out Ohtani paid off his friend/interpreter gambling debt to an illegal bookie w/o knowing the potential legal ramifications. Once ohtanis lawyer got a hold of his clients possible suspension due to infraction of cba they went w/ his interpreter stole the money. All in all ohtani is not totally innocent but he was trying to be a good friend by bailing him out and the interpreter irresponsible behavior w/ his gambling put ohtani in a terrible predicament.

That's actually even worse for Ohtani if his team is actually telling him to lie to the feds and falsely incriminate Ippei. Ippei could face literally 2+ years in prison for this. There would be no suspension if Ohtani was just paying off Ippei's gambling debt; there's no need to be the fall guy..

[taikibansei]

This is not what Ohtani is saying happened. They are saying the guy lied about all of that. That was the original story where ESPN just interviewed the interpreter.

https://defector.com/shohei-ohtanis-presser-reveals-the-gaps-in-translation

I dont buy it. Knowing Japenese culture, the interpreter would rather go to jail than steal from Japan's biggest icon and his long time friend. Sending such a large sum through wire transfers from someone else’s account without their knowledge until several months later is nearly impossible.

Knowing Japanese culture pretty damn well myself, I would say that Ohtani's naive trust of an older Japanese friend he'd known since he was 18--to the point that he'd give this "mentor" access even to his US bank accounts--is very Japanese. Ohtani had the money and popularity to get anybody to be his interpretor; by all accounts, Mizuhara was a crappy interpreter who'd fabricated his entire life "resume," but Ohtani remained loyal to him regardless and granted him a huge amount of control over issues normally outside a translator's job:

Beyond helping translate interviews with journalists, conversations with coaches and banter in the dugout, Mizuhara was a constant presence in Ohtani’s life, taking videos of him working out, running errands, arranging meals, helping to manage his schedule and even corresponding with his parents, friends and sponsors in Japan.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-28/ippei-mizuhara-shohei-ohtani-interpreter-mystery-gambling-scandal

Again, unquestioning loyalty to an older Japanese "friend" known from childhood (18 is still considered a child in Japan) is the cultural norm. Mizuhara's apparent abuse of this privilege to "protect" his face/honor (by using another's money to pay off these debts) is also not that rare. All this said, could Ohtani be lying--could he really be this obsessed gambler, with poor Mizuhara becoming the fall guy? Sure, anything's possible...but if Ohtani really was racking up huge amounts of gambling debt, particularly on baseball (potentially career-ending), would he really take the chance of deferring most of his salary? Again, I wasn't there, but I kind of doubt it. It's far more likely that Mizuhara acted alone and thought nobody--including Ohtani--would ever notice/find out.

My two yen, anyway.

[disoblige]

This is not what Ohtani is saying happened. They are saying the guy lied about all of that. That was the original story where ESPN just interviewed the interpreter.

https://defector.com/shohei-ohtanis-presser-reveals-the-gaps-in-translation

I dont buy it. Knowing Japenese culture, the interpreter would rather go to jail than steal from Japan's biggest icon and his long time friend. Sending such a large sum through wire transfers from someone else’s account without their knowledge until several months later is nearly impossible.

Knowing Japanese culture pretty damn well myself, I would say that Ohtani's naive trust of an older Japanese friend he'd known since he was 18--to the point that he'd give this "mentor" access even to his US bank accounts--is very Japanese. Ohtani had the money and popularity to get anybody to be his interpretor; by all accounts, Mizuhara was a crappy interpreter who'd fabricated his entire life "resume," but Ohtani remained loyal to him regardless and granted him a huge amount of control over issues normally outside a translator's job:

Beyond helping translate interviews with journalists, conversations with coaches and banter in the dugout, Mizuhara was a constant presence in Ohtani’s life, taking videos of him working out, running errands, arranging meals, helping to manage his schedule and even corresponding with his parents, friends and sponsors in Japan.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-28/ippei-mizuhara-shohei-ohtani-interpreter-mystery-gambling-scandal

Again, unquestioning loyalty to an older Japanese "friend" known from childhood (18 is still considered a child in Japan) is the cultural norm. Mizuhara's apparent abuse of this privilege to "protect" his face/honor (by using another's money to pay off these debts) is also not that rare. All this said, could Ohtani be lying--could he really be this obsessed gambler, with poor Mizuhara becoming the fall guy? Sure, anything's possible...but if Ohtani really was racking up huge amounts of gambling debt, particularly on baseball (potentially career-ending), would he really take the chance of deferring most of his salary? Again, I wasn't there, but I kind of doubt it. It's far more likely that Mizuhara acted alone and thought nobody--including Ohtani--would ever notice/find out.

My two yen, anyway.

The problem is this been going on for 1-2 years. The wire transfer started Sept-Oct 2023. He hasnt checked his bank statements for 1-2 years?
source: https://youtu.be/01MMgUphFVQ?si=Cmb3iZFYNrXrxET9&t=702

[taikibansei]

I dont buy it. Knowing Japenese culture, the interpreter would rather go to jail than steal from Japan's biggest icon and his long time friend. Sending such a large sum through wire transfers from someone else’s account without their knowledge until several months later is nearly impossible.

Knowing Japanese culture pretty damn well myself, I would say that Ohtani's naive trust of an older Japanese friend he'd known since he was 18--to the point that he'd give this "mentor" access even to his US bank accounts--is very Japanese. Ohtani had the money and popularity to get anybody to be his interpretor; by all accounts, Mizuhara was a crappy interpreter who'd fabricated his entire life "resume," but Ohtani remained loyal to him regardless and granted him a huge amount of control over issues normally outside a translator's job:

Beyond helping translate interviews with journalists, conversations with coaches and banter in the dugout, Mizuhara was a constant presence in Ohtani’s life, taking videos of him working out, running errands, arranging meals, helping to manage his schedule and even corresponding with his parents, friends and sponsors in Japan.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-28/ippei-mizuhara-shohei-ohtani-interpreter-mystery-gambling-scandal

Again, unquestioning loyalty to an older Japanese "friend" known from childhood (18 is still considered a child in Japan) is the cultural norm. Mizuhara's apparent abuse of this privilege to "protect" his face/honor (by using another's money to pay off these debts) is also not that rare. All this said, could Ohtani be lying--could he really be this obsessed gambler, with poor Mizuhara becoming the fall guy? Sure, anything's possible...but if Ohtani really was racking up huge amounts of gambling debt, particularly on baseball (potentially career-ending), would he really take the chance of deferring most of his salary? Again, I wasn't there, but I kind of doubt it. It's far more likely that Mizuhara acted alone and thought nobody--including Ohtani--would ever notice/find out.

My two yen, anyway.

The problem is this been going on for 1-2 years. He hasnt checked his bank statement for 1-2 years?
source: https://youtu.be/01MMgUphFVQ?si=Cmb3iZFYNrXrxET9&t=702

Very possible. In Japanese culture, the main breadwinner rarely checks bank statements and almost never pays household bills--it's considered "beneath" a real man. (Yes, stupid cultural norm.) I didn't look at my bank statements for several years--until one day I went to the bank to wire money home for my dad's funeral, and found that my (now ex) had left us nearly at zero. Fun times.

Again, neither you nor I were around Ohtani, so we don't know what happened. I'm just saying, culturally, it's possible.

[disoblige]

There's a federal investigation so we will know soon enough.

From what I know:
-Sports gambling is illegal in California
-The interpreter said it started 2 years ago
-Some wire transfer occurred on Sept-Oct 2023 from Ohtani to the book maker.
-Ohtani and his interpreter has two different stories
-Around $4.5million was transferred.
-You can't just send millions into a bank account and not report to the IRS. He will charge wire fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud.
or making undisclosed gambling transactions

His interpreter did not, in my opinion, steal Ohtani's money. I believe Ohtani was aware of it and was attempting to evade being charged. They didn't even immediately call the police to report it. It doesn't matter if it was Ohtani or the interpreter—gambling is only relevant when on baseball. There was no proof either gambled in baseball. Simply my opinion or assumption. I am not even suprise if the interpreter falsely plead guilty to save Ohtani from prison or him jumping off a window.

[azcatz11]

Apparently the feds have investigated and found Shohei was completely in the dark. Interesting

[wco81]

Apparently the feds have investigated and found Shohei was completely in the dark. Interesting

Completely in the dark about millions of his money being wired to some bookie?


Ohtani hit his first HR as a Dodger at Dodgers Stadium last week. Dodgers marketing people rushed out to the stands and surrounded a young couple who got the ball, which is estimated to be worth at least $100k.

They separated the couple from each other and then gaslit the young woman into giving up the ball for nothing but some memorabilia.

Ohtani claimed that he took pictures with the young couple for giving up the ball. In fact he did not go meet them and take photos with them, he lied about it so that the strong-arm tactics of getting the ball from young fans wouldn't look bad.

Ohtani lied about a minor incident. He can't be lying about something more serious like gambling, could he?

[madskillz8]

Ohtani hit his first HR as a Dodger at Dodgers Stadium last week. Dodgers marketing people rushed out to the stands and surrounded a young couple who got the ball, which is estimated to be worth at least $100k.

They separated the couple from each other and then gaslit the young woman into giving up the ball for nothing but some memorabilia.

Ohtani claimed that he took pictures with the young couple for giving up the ball. In fact he did not go meet them and take photos with them, he lied about it so that the strong-arm tactics of getting the ball from young fans wouldn't look bad.

Ohtani lied about a minor incident. He can't be lying about something more serious like gambling, could he?

Seriously?

[wco81]

Here's an account.

In this case, though, Roman and Valenzuela say the security staff separated them, pressured them, and left them little choice but to hand over the baseball for what they considered a low-ball offer. The Dodgers initially dangled two caps signed by Ohtani in exchange for a ball that an auction house representative told The Athletic would be worth at least $100,000.

Roman said the hardball tactics by team officials included the threat of refusing to authenticate the baseball if she decided to take it home. This was no trivial matter: A lack of authentication could significantly reduce the ball’s value, and place the onus on Roman to prove its authenticity.


Ambar Roman snagged Shohei Ohtani’s milestone home run ball but her interactions with the Dodgers security staff left her unsettled. (Courtesy: Ambar Roman)

“We’re not trying to extort anyone. It’s not that we’re money hungry,” Valenzuela said. “It’s just that it’s a special moment, it’s a special ball. I just think it’s fair for it to be equally rewarded.”

“I was just disappointed that a team that I hold so dear pulled a quote-unquote quick one on us.”

They left Dodger Stadium with two signed hats, a signed bat and ball, a slight bump after the opening offer of two signed hats.

They never met or talked to Ohtani, though in Ohtani’s postgame comments on the subject, according to the translation of interpreter Will Ireton, he seemed to suggest either that they had spoken or that they had communicated in some fashion. It was not immediately clear if that was a misunderstanding or if Ohtani was intending to communicate that he had gotten a message to the fan who caught the ball.

“I was able to talk to the fan, and was able to get it back,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Obviously it’s a very special ball, a lot of feelings toward it, I’m very grateful that it’s back.”

The Dodgers, through a team spokesperson, declined to discuss the fans’ grievances. As for the negotiations, a team official told The Athletic: “The Dodgers are open to a further conversation with the fan about the transaction.”

https://theathletic.com/5392308/2024/04/04/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-homer-fan/

[azcatz11]

Apparently the feds have investigated and found Shohei was completely in the dark. Interesting

Completely in the dark about millions of his money being wired to some bookie?


Ohtani hit his first HR as a Dodger at Dodgers Stadium last week. Dodgers marketing people rushed out to the stands and surrounded a young couple who got the ball, which is estimated to be worth at least $100k.

They separated the couple from each other and then gaslit the young woman into giving up the ball for nothing but some memorabilia.

Ohtani claimed that he took pictures with the young couple for giving up the ball. In fact he did not go meet them and take photos with them, he lied about it so that the strong-arm tactics of getting the ball from young fans wouldn't look bad.

Ohtani lied about a minor incident. He can't be lying about something more serious like gambling, could he?

My opinion of Ohtani is he’s very secretive which doesn’t really endear himself much to the fans. I’m not sure if that’s a cultural thing or what but he’s been here 7 years already. Kind of ironic he was on the same team as trout who also isn’t personable.

I think it’s fine being private but you can’t have your cake and it eat too as a superstar athlete. Gotta give the fans something or else you’re getting backlash.

I’d actually be more surprised if he met and took a picture with those fans. Would take literally 2 minutes and is a small price to pay for that ball

[alebaba]

he prosecutors presented the evidence they have against Mizuhara:

Ippei set up Ohtani's bank account for him since his arrival to the US. Ippei was the one responsible for making all purchases for Shohei to help him get settled in the country. Within a few years, Mizuhara changed the settings on Ohtani's account and linked it to his phone. He has had full access to Ohtani's accounts since that time.

Prosecutors have forensic computer evidence in the form of IP addresses and location data that show all transfers and bets came from Ippei's house and devices.

-Prosecutors have multiple call recordings with Ippei and the bank where Mizuhara is pretending to be Ohtani and is authorizing large wire transfers

-Prosecutors confiscated both Ohtani and Ippei's phones. They read every txt message and communication sent between the two over 7 years. There were zero instances where betting or wiring money ever came up. There are thousands of messages between Ippei and the bookmaker, including texts where Ippei admits to stealing from Shohei

-All of the gambling winnings that Ippei made were transferred into his own bank account and not Ohtanis

-The bookmaker has admitted to prosecutors under oath that he knew Ohtani was not a client and that Ippei admitted the truth to him.

-Ippei didn't just steal money for gambling but for multiple other leisure purchases, including over 325k to buy baseball cards on ebay

-Prosecutors have every bet slip that was made with the bookmaker. They number in the tens of thousands. Ippei did not make any bets on baseball. Ohtani did not make any bets at all nor was he aware of Ippei's betting.


You can also read some of the messages between ippei and the bookkeeper

[disoblige]

Ok I my assumptions were wrong. His interpreter stole 16mil. Lol

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/baseball/article-former-interpreter-for-dodgers-star-shohei-ohtani-faces-bank-fraud/

[alebaba]

LMAO at all the people saying Ippei took the fall for Ohtani. Dude is facing prison for a long time. No amount of money would have me take a fall that could land me a maximum of 30 years in prison