The investigation into the gambling scandal involving baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, began with a secret, late-night meeting where investigators and reporters first uncovered a financial connection between Ohtani and an illegal bookmaking operation. The details are recounted in ESPN's upcoming "30 for 30" podcast, "The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani."
ESPN investigative reporter Tisha Thompson described meeting a source in a parking lot at night to examine documents related to Ohtani's finances and illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. The source provided a phone with encrypted documents, each designed to disappear after 30 seconds. Thompson was able to take handwritten notes from these fleeting images.
The first document showed a $500,000 transfer from Ohtani's Bank of America account on September 14, 2023, followed by another $500,000 payment on October 2, 2023, both using the same banking information. These transfers, totaling $1 million, provided the initial direct financial link between Ohtani's accounts and Bowyer's illegal gambling business. At this stage, the source of the transfers and their purpose remained unknown to Thompson.
Shortly after this discovery, Thompson received information from another source identifying Ohtani's longtime interpreter, Mizuhara, as the individual responsible for gambling debts. Mizuhara initially claimed Ohtani had agreed to pay his debts, but he later retracted this statement. This sequence of events led to Mizuhara's dismissal by the Los Angeles Dodgers and initiated a federal investigation.
Authorities eventually concluded that Ohtani was unaware of and not involved in the gambling. Investigations revealed that Mizuhara had gained unauthorized access to Ohtani's bank account, impersonated him in calls with bank employees, and transferred nearly $17 million to cover his gambling losses without Ohtani's knowledge.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return. He was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution to Ohtani and the IRS. Major League Baseball concluded its own investigation in June 2024, determining Ohtani was a victim of fraud.
Mathew Bowyer also pleaded guilty to charges including operating an illegal gambling business and money laundering. He stated that Mizuhara began betting with him after they met through a poker game involving personnel from the Los Angeles Angels.
The podcast also features audio from a 90-minute interview with Mizuhara conducted by Thompson, which occurred approximately 16 hours before ESPN's initial report on the scandal. This interview is noted as the only extended conversation Mizuhara has given regarding the situation.
The initial parking lot meeting highlights the uncertainty and clandestine nature of the early stages of the investigation. While Thompson had discovered transfers linked to Ohtani's name, the full picture of Mizuhara's alleged theft and deception had not yet emerged.
The first two episodes of "The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani" are set to be released on July 28.