Shohei Ohtani, his interpreter and wire transfers: A timeline

The sports activities world was rocked this week by information that Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter and good friend, Ippei Mizuhara, had been fired by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

However Mizuhara’s termination was solely the most recent sharp flip in a zigzagging, 48-hour journey that performed out on two continents as ESPN reporters labored to reply questions on not less than $4.5 million in wire transfers despatched from Ohtani’s checking account to a bookmaking operation that’s underneath federal investigation. It is unclear whether or not that twist would be the final.

Two days after the account from Ohtani’s handlers developed from superstar-bailing-out-his-friend to allegations of “huge theft,” questions stay, together with who, if anybody, is investigating the alleged theft. Ohtani’s representatives mentioned Thursday they’d formally submitted the allegation to regulation enforcement however didn’t say to which authorities.

A number of sources instructed ESPN that neither the California Bureau of Investigation nor the FBI was working the case. Spokespersons with the Los Angeles Police Division and district lawyer’s places of work in Los Angeles and Orange counties all mentioned they weren’t investigating, they usually indicated it was probably a federal matter. The U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace for the Central District of California declined to remark.

Sources, together with Mizuhara, have instructed ESPN that Ohtani doesn’t gamble and that the funds have been transferred to cowl Mizuhara’s losses. A number of sources additionally mentioned not one of the betting was on baseball.

How this got here to unfold publicly began with a tip ESPN obtained a number of months in the past that will be pursued by a number of reporters. Info was gathered over that time-frame, but it surely wasn’t till late Sunday that ESPN had sufficient affirmation to, for the primary time, ask inquiries to key figures, together with Main League Baseball officers, Ohtani representatives, federal regulation enforcement, the Dodgers and others.

7:30 p.m. ET Sunday (8:30 a.m. Monday in Seoul, South Korea): In response to a Main League Baseball supply, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, whereas in South Korea getting ready for the season-opening collection between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, learns one thing is occurring regarding Ohtani. A supply would later say MLB began in search of solutions from federal authorities in California early Monday however obtained no response.

3 p.m. ET Monday (4 a.m. Tuesday in Seoul): ESPN contacts Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, to ask about info it has discovered, together with that Ohtani’s identify gave the impression to be on two wire transfers totaling $1 million. The transfers had been despatched in September and October to the Southern California bookmaking operation of Mathew Bowyer. ESPN receives no quick response.

5:30 p.m. ET Monday (6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Seoul): A crisis-communications spokesman for Ohtani, who had simply been employed, responds to ESPN. Over the following a number of hours, he and an ESPN reporter discuss at numerous occasions because the spokesman says he’s getting in control on info from the Ohtani camp.

8:30 p.m. ET Monday (9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Seoul): The spokesman for the primary time says Ohtani paid the money owed on behalf of Mizuhara. He says Balelo, the agent, went to Mizuhara, who “lastly got here clear to him and mentioned that was the reality,” and that Ohtani instructed Balelo he had coated Mizuhara’s money owed in $500,000 increments. It isn’t clear whether or not the spokesman is saying Ohtani communicated with Balelo by means of Mizuhara.

The spokesman quotes Ohtani as saying: “‘Yeah, I despatched a number of massive funds. That is the utmost quantity I may ship.'”

The ESPN reporter, figuring out the spokesman labored for Ohtani, needs to listen to it from Mizuhara. The spokesman says he’ll work on arranging that.

9:05 p.m. ET Tuesday (10:05 a.m. Wednesday in Seoul): The Ohtani spokesman confirms to ESPN that the playing debt amounted to not less than $4.5 million, which ESPN had beforehand discovered from different sources.

10:30 p.m. ET Tuesday (11:30 a.m. Wednesday in Seoul): Mizuhara speaks with an ESPN reporter by cellphone for 90 minutes from South Korea. The interview has been organized — and is attended — by the Ohtani spokesman.

Mizuhara tells ESPN he met Bowyer at a poker sport in San Diego in 2021. Atlanta Braves infielder David Fletcher, who was associates with Ohtani once they each performed for the Los Angeles Angels, had beforehand instructed ESPN that he was current on the poker sport, however he mentioned he didn’t introduce the bookie and the interpreter. Fletcher and a supply with information of Bowyer’s operation instructed ESPN that Bowyer gained admittance to the poker sport on the staff lodge by means of an acquaintance of Fletcher’s. Fletcher instructed ESPN he had met Bowyer as soon as earlier than whereas enjoying golf, and that he had by no means positioned a wager with Bowyer’s group.

Within the ESPN interview, Mizuhara says he began betting with Bowyer on credit score shortly after they met, putting wagers on a number of sports activities — however not baseball. He says he had beforehand wager on DraftKings and did not know Bowyer’s operation was unlawful. On the time, his wage with the Angels was about $85,000, he says, and by the top of 2022 he had misplaced over $1 million and was borrowing cash from family and friends.

“I could not share this with Shohei. It was onerous for me to make my ends meet. I used to be going paycheck to paycheck,” Mizuhara says. “As a result of I form of needed to sustain together with his way of life. However on the similar time, I did not need to inform him this.”

He describes his relationship with Ohtani, whom he first met in 2013, as “brothers,” and says he spends extra time with Ohtani than together with his spouse.

Mizuhara’s debt ballooned to $4 million by early 2023, he tells ESPN, and that is when he says he went to Ohtani for assist. He says he feared dropping Ohtani’s belief, and he additionally feared for his security, that somebody may come to his home.

“I defined my state of affairs,” he says. “And clearly he wasn’t pleased about it, however he mentioned he would assist me.”

Requested if Ohtani knew the individual owed the cash was a bookie, Mizuhara says his good friend “did not have any clue.”

“I simply instructed him I have to ship a wire to repay the debt,” Mizuhara says. “He did not ask if it was unlawful, did not query me about that.”

Mizuhara says that, after Ohtani agreed to pay the money owed, the 2 of them logged into Ohtani’s checking account on Ohtani’s pc and despatched eight or 9 transactions, every at $500,000, over a number of months. They added “mortgage” to the outline area within the transactions. Mizuhara estimates the ultimate fee was made in October.

Requested by ESPN if he thought he could be placing himself or Ohtani in danger by asking Ohtani to pay the money owed, Mizuhara says, “I do not assume both of us considered that on the time in any respect.”

Mizuhara declines to inform ESPN the complete quantity he misplaced playing however confirms it is not less than $4.5 million. He calls it “embarrassing.”

“My spouse would not even find out about any of this till even proper now,” he says.

He says he felt uncomfortable and responsible for just a few weeks after asking Ohtani to pay again his money owed, however that Ohtani moved on. “It was onerous to see him,” Mizuhara says, “He is an important man and just about he went on together with his life like nothing ever occurred.”

Requested if he supposed to pay again Ohtani, Mizuhara says he instructed his good friend he would. He provides that Ohtani has by no means gambled and “thinks playing is horrible.”

“He sees that folks, teammates could be playing on a regular basis, and he’ll be like, ‘Why are they doing this? Playing just isn’t good.’ He would make feedback like that. Individuals would ask him to go to casinos on highway journeys, and he would by no means go. No, he isn’t into it.”

6:05 a.m. ET Wednesday (7:05 p.m. in Seoul): The Dodgers open the 2024 season in opposition to the Padres, successful 5-2. Ohtani will get two hits and is seen within the dugout laughing with Mizuhara within the ultimate minutes of the sport.

9 a.m. ET Wednesday (10 p.m. in Seoul): An MLB supply says officers are conscious of what Mizuhara instructed ESPN the earlier night time — that Ohtani had coated his money owed. The supply says MLB nonetheless has not heard again from federal authorities.

10 a.m. ET Wednesday (11 p.m. in Seoul): After the sport, the Dodgers maintain a gathering within the clubhouse, the place staff proprietor Mark Walter tells the gamers a adverse story is coming, in accordance with a staff official later interviewed by ESPN. Mizuhara apologizes, in accordance with the official, and tells the staff he has a playing dependancy. A Dodgers govt, Andrew Friedman, stands up and says Ohtani had helped to cowl Mizuhara’s losses, the staff official and others current mentioned.

On the way in which again to the lodge, Ohtani begins asking questions on what had been mentioned within the clubhouse, the Ohtani spokesman instructed ESPN, and his representatives say that is when Ohtani instructed them he did not acknowledge Mizuhara’s model of the occasions. In response to the Dodgers official and Ohtani’s spokesman, Ohtani’s representatives had continued to depend on Mizuhara to speak with Ohtani whereas they have been coping with the state of affairs, and Mizuhara didn’t inform Ohtani what was taking place.

In response to the Ohtani spokesman, Ohtani discovers for the primary time Wednesday that cash is lacking from his account.

11:32 a.m. ET Wednesday (12:32 a.m. Thursday in Seoul): Ohtani’s spokesman advises ESPN to not publish its story. “Ippei was mendacity,” he says. “Shohei did not know.” In a fast collection of cellphone calls that comply with, the spokesman emphasizes that every one communication between Ohtani and his agent had gone by means of Mizuhara.

1:15 p.m. ET Wednesday (2:15 a.m. Thursday in Seoul): Due to the seriousness of that allegation and rising inconsistencies within the accounts, ESPN calls for that Ohtani’s spokesman go on the file with the theft allegations and provides him a 1:45 p.m. deadline. The Ohtani spokesman says Mizuhara is despondent and desires to elucidate his state of affairs to his household, and that attorneys are getting ready an announcement. The spokesman guarantees an announcement by 2 p.m.

2 p.m. ET Wednesday (3 a.m. Thursday in Seoul): Ohtani’s attorneys at Berk Brettler LLP situation an announcement to ESPN: “In the midst of responding to current media inquiries, we found that Shohei has been the sufferer of an enormous theft and we’re turning the matter over to the authorities.”

The Ohtani spokesman declines to reply additional questions, and the assertion doesn’t specify whom they consider perpetrated a theft.

2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday (3:30 a.m. Thursday in Seoul): The Dodgers fireplace Mizuhara instantly after studying in regards to the alleged theft, in accordance with a staff official.

3:55 p.m. ET Wednesday (4:55 a.m. Thursday in Seoul): ESPN reaches Mizuhara by cellphone. He says he had lied in his earlier interview and walks again a lot of what he had mentioned. He tells ESPN Ohtani had no information of his playing actions, money owed or efforts to repay them.

Requested if he had been accused of theft or embezzlement, he says he has been instructed to not remark, however he declines to say by whom.

“Clearly, that is all my fault, the whole lot I’ve achieved,” he says. “I am able to face all the results.”

When did Ohtani turn out to be conscious of the state of affairs?

“They instructed me I am unable to reply something,” he says.

Ohtani’s representatives? Are they representing you?

“No.”

Are you taking any type of fee to inform me this stuff?

“No.”

Have you ever made any form of settlement to say this stuff?

“No.”

You are doing this of your personal volition and free will?

“Sure.”

Did you wager on baseball?

“No.”

Did you mislead Shohei?

“Sure.”

ESPN asks if he has ever purposely misinformed Ohtani whereas decoding the problems the reporter is asking about. Mizuhara says: “No, I’ve by no means achieved that.”

The ESPN reporter texts him with a ultimate query: Did you are taking the cash from Shohei’s accounts with out his information?

There is no such thing as a response.

4:13 p.m. ET Wednesday (5:13 a.m. Thursday in Seoul): The Ohtani spokesman tells ESPN that what has truly occurred in current days is that Mizuhara has been in a position to management info to Ohtani in his place because the interpreter, and that Ohtani hadn’t realized what was taking place till the postgame clubhouse assembly, when a brand new interpreter was introduced in.

“He did not know any of it, did not know there was some inquiry,” the spokesman says. “After the sport, that is when he discovered. … He did not know what the f— was happening.”

Tisha Thompson is an investigative reporter for ESPN. Attain her at [email protected].

ESPN’s Paula Lavigne, T.J. Quinn and Elaine Teng contributed to this report.