I did have that personal information at the time. I was exposed to a lot of their personal information as I was helping them. I don’t exactly know what happened with Ohtani and Ippei, but if their relationship was somewhat close to mine, I could see how it could happen.

But Daniel Kim, a prominent Korean baseball analyst who has worked as a Major League Baseball interpreter and scout, buys Ohtani’s version of events. I spoke with him about why he thinks this scandal may be more straightforward than it may appear.

s the Shohei Ohtani gambling story Major League Baseball’s worst nightmare or just an ephemeral curiosity? The answer depends on whether the story Ohtani told reporters last week is true.

Apr. 1, 2024

By Benjamin Hart

Why an Ex-MLB Interpreter Thinks Ohtani Is Telling the Truth

What does this mean for gambling in baseball?

Any on-the-field implications?

What happens to Ohtani's endorsements?

What's next for Mizuhara?

How long will the investigations take?

When will Ohtani take questions?

Is it unusual for an interpreter to have access to bank accounts?

How were the payments made?

there are a lot of unanswered questions left to be asked about the entire situation.

Ohtani read a prepared statement that was translated by new interpreter Will Ireton (Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers last Wednesday), but did not take questions from the press. Ohtani claimed to have no prior knowledge of Mizuhara's gambling, and accused Mizuhara of stealing the funds from his accounts.

Mar 26, 2024

By R.J. Anderson

Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal: Eight lingering questions about interpreter, payments, on-field impact, more

Mizuhara was fired immediately after, CBS Sports reported.

“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei (Mizuhara) from the news media,” MLB said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press.

Major League Baseball said on Friday that it has launched an investigation regarding Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara.

March 22, 2024 at 4:03 pm PDTExpand

By Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

MLB launches formal investigation into allegations surrounding Shohei Ohtani, interpreter

“Ohtani’s image is like clean, white porcelain, and that could make a speck look bigger than it is,” he said. “Information spreads at amazing speeds these days, narratives are made before the truth of the facts are figured out, and if Ohtani was seen as a questionable character, the allegations would have really hurt him.”

Wearing a blue Dodgers sweatshirt and cap at the Gocheok Sky Dome, Kuri said he was trying to sift through the information that’s out there. He said he’d just returned from vacation in Japan “where Ohtani is king.”

By STEPHEN WADE and TONG-HYUNG KIM

Updated 7:06 PM EDT, March 21, 2024

In Japan, Ohtani’s ‘perfect person’ image could take a hit with firing of interpreter over gambling

So we shouldn’t be surprised when an illegal bookmaker utilizes credit to attract a high-value customer, especially when that customer has shown they are good for it.”

Apr 1, 2024

By Andy McCullough

Inside the ‘very predatory’ world of illegal betting that lured Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter

Sports betting has exploded in the United States in a way that I’m not sure everyone appreciates. It’s now legal in 38 states compared to just one (Nevada) in 2017. A 2018 Supreme Court ruling set the stage for other states to dive into gambling, and they’ve done just that. close dialogAdvertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1064080 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1064080 */@-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1064080-spin { from { -ms-transform: rotate(0deg); } to { -ms-transform: rotate(360deg); } } @-moz-keyframes bx-anim-1064080-spin { from { -moz-transform: rotate(0deg); } to { -moz-transform: rotate(360deg); } } @-webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1064080-spin { from { -webkit-transform: rotate(0deg); } to { -webkit-transform: rotate(360deg); } } @keyframes bx-anim-1064080-spin { from { transform: rotate(0deg); } to { transform: rotate(360deg); } } /* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1064080 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative> *:first-child {padding: 0;width: auto;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative {background-color: transparent;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close {stroke: transparent;background-color: transparent;border-style: none;border-color: white;border-width: 1px;box-shadow: 0px 0px 0px 3px black;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080 .bx-group-1064080-3RBnJGC {position: absolute;top: 50%;left: 50%;transform: translate(-50%, -50%);z-index: -1;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080 .bx-element-1064080-wryzWV5 {width: 55px;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080 .bx-element-1064080-wryzWV5> *:first-child {animation-name: bx-anim-1064080-spin;animation-duration: 800ms;animation-iteration-count: infinite;animation-timing-function: linear;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080 .bx-group-1064080-lyDBLV9 {width: 900px;height: 600px;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080 .bx-group-1064080-me4p1bl {padding: 10px;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080 .bx-element-1064080-ZdLO37u {width: auto;}.bxc.bx-campaign-1064080 .bx-element-1064080-ZdLO37u> *:first-child {padding: 2px 4px;font-size: 10px;color: rgb(255, 255, 255);text-transform: uppercase;background-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34);}#bx-campaign-1064080 .bx-slab { margin-bottom: 32px; } In 2023, Americans gambled a record $119.84 billion on sports, according to the American Gaming Association’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. In 2017, just $4.8 billion of legal sports betting occurred in Nevada sportsbooks – a 2,397% increase in six years.

Ohtani is the type of player who transcends the sport and counteracts the downward trend in baseball’s national appeal more than anyone else. He is baseball’s biggest star.

Beyond whether there is more to this story than what the facts currently suggest, we’re talking about something that has worried me for years: athletes and any connection to gambling. This is especially the case for baseball and its dark history with betting.

Shohei Ohtani has made his much-anticipated Dodgers debut, but much of the focus is on a story away from the baseball field.

Published 9:56 AM EDT, Fri March 29, 2024

by Harry Enten, CNN

Why the Shohei Ohtani story is so concerning for baseball and sports

Times staff writers Dylan Hernández, Jack Harris and Gustavo Arellano contributed to this report

The IRS and Homeland Security are investigating the Bowyer case for the U.S. attorney’s office in L.A.

The ESPN article stated that the spokesman said the money came from Ohtani to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debts. The interpreter confirmed this account in a lengthy interview with the outlet on March 19, which was arranged by the spokesman, ESPN said.But then the spokesman and later Mizuhara disavowed that account, and it was subsequently replaced with the claim that the interpreter stole the money through wire transfers of $500,000 each, according to ESPN. Brettler’s firm issued a statement saying it had notified law enforcement of the alleged “massive theft.” It has not said which agency it notified.

The league did, however, announce on Friday that it was launching an investigation into Ohtani and Mizuhara.

The first suggested that there was no link, and that Ohtani had no comment in response to a Times query about the Dodger, Bowyer and the investigation, according to a representative for the ballplayer. Next came the version that Ohtani generously paid off the gambling losses Mizuhara owed to Bowyer, ESPN reported after The Times story was published. Then came the current narrative, made public March 20: Mizuhara stole the money. Ohtani said Mizuhara had invented every other rendition of events. In a meeting at their Seoul hotel, Ohtani said, Mizuhara admitted to him the theft and the deception.

Ohtani also said he has “never bet on anything or bet for anyone on a sporting event or asked someone to bet for me.” He also denied knowingly paying Mizuhara’s gambling debts.

Why would any illicit bookmaker allow Mizuhara to accrue a debt in the millions?

He said it would be “highly unlikely” that Ohtani didn’t have a business manager or anyone else in a similar role who could have flagged unusual movements of funds.

the translator would have had to evade all the safeguards typically in place to shield a wealthy celebrity from thievery, fraud and other forms of financial exploitation, experts have told The Times.Those lines of defense would include human and digital protocols for verifying the legitimacy of large withdrawals of money from a bank, in addition to assurances that financial professionals who handle expenses, investments and taxes are performing regular reviews of significant transactions.

That’s because Ohtani’s claims — that his interpreter stole millions of dollars from him to pay a bookmaker and that the ballplayer knew nothing about it — have produced more mystery than clarity, beginning with the unanswered question of how such a large theft could go unnoticed for so long.

The result was a series of shifting accounts of how Ohtani’s name was raised as part of the investigation, with each version presenting him as not being involved in any wrongdoing.

The tip arrived two weeks ago, and it threatened to engulf Major League Baseball’s biggest star, Shohei Ohtani, in scandal. The name of the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger and pitcher had surfaced in a federal investigation of illegal sports gambling — millions of dollars in payments were allegedly made from his bank account to an illicit bookmaker.

March 27, 2024 3 AM PT

By Paul Pringle, Nathan Fenno and Adam Elmahrek

How the saga of Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter unfolded — and why it’s not over

Mizuhara had a contract with the Los Angeles Angels when Ohtani played there and signed with the Dodgers this offseason. Mizuhara confirmed to ESPN he has been paid between $300,000 and $500,000 annually.

Mizuhara and Ohtani are friends in addition to their professional relationship. Mizuhara has interpreted for Ohtani since the star moved to the United States in 2018,

"I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again."

"Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn't happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again," Mizuhara said. "He decided to pay it off for me.

A source said Bowyer was aware of the name on the wire transfers but chose not to ask any questions as long as payments came in; however, the source said Bowyer allowed people to believe Ohtani was a client in order to boost business.

"In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft

The spokesman presented Mizuhara to ESPN for a 90-minute interview Tuesday night, during which Mizuhara laid out his account in great detail. However, as ESPN prepared to publish the story Wednesday, the spokesman disavowed Mizuhara's account and said Ohtani's lawyers would issue a statement.

The Los Angeles Dodgers interpreter for Shohei Ohtani was fired Wednesday afternoon after questions surrounding at least $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from Ohtani's bank account to a bookmaking operation set off a series of events.

Mar 20, 2024, 05:51 PM ET

Tisha Thompson, ESPN

Dodgers fire Shohei Ohtani's interpreter amid allegation of 'massive theft'

Garcia told NBC News in an interview that he is seeking more than six figures.

While working for Megan, Garcia “endured a barrage of relentless sexual and fat-shaming comments plunging him into profound emotional distress,” the suit said.

trapped inside a moving vehicle with the hip-hop star in a foreign country while she had sex with a woman

A former cameraman for Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion accused of harassment by cameraman who said he was forced to watch her have sex

View complete question responses and trends (PDF download).

Gallup has measured Americans’ sense of personal safety from crime using this question since 1965, finding a record 48% worried in January 1982.

an average of 35% of adults have feared for their safety within a mile of home, with the annual results ranging between 29% and 39%.

Personal Safety Fears at Three-Decade High in U.S.

Forty percent of Americans, the most in three decades, say they would be afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their home.

Jordan said that Kushner had a positive impact on diplomacy, including being one of the "key officials" involved in the Abraham Accords Act—a diplomatic agreement between Israel and the Arab countries that was brokered by Trump in September 2020.

Jared Kushner Called to Face the Music

battleground-state polling

Biden Is Building a ‘Superstructure’ to Stop Trump From Stealing the Election

Hawley added that 1 in 25 women who take medication abortion will end up in the emergency room

women should be under a doctor’s care when taking “high-risk drugs.”

Court majority unlikely to limit access to mifepristone

made the drug available by mail and from a medical provider other than a doctor.

She says that if complications emerge from medication abortions, antiabortion doctors are forced to choose between helping a woman with a life-threatening condition and violating their conscience.

Erin Hawley, lawyer for Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, argued that mifepristone is dangerous

antiabortion doctors challenging the government’s loosening of regulations have sufficient legal grounds — or standing — to bring the lawsuit.

used in more than 60 percent of U.S. abortions and first approved more than two decades ago.

The Guardian, a serious news brand, has printed the rumor.

major crisis

Since then, the mainstream British media and many U.S. outlets have avoided being drawn into the gossip,

The Sun in 2019

Colbert began by stating: "The kingdom has been all aflutter by the seeming disappearance of Kate Middleton."

Social media

no clear, reliable image of Kate has been available since Christmas Day,

The palace PR crisis over Kate Middleton's absence from public life spun even further out of control after Late Show host Stephen Colbert mentioned the drama on Wednesday's episode.

Prince William Affair Rumor Hits Mainstream Media