Betrayal of Trust: Ohtani Interpreter Charged With $16M Fraud in Shocking Gambling Scandal
Good morning! Long golf day ahead.
Serious Matters: Ohtani saga reaches shocking ending
The biggest talent in baseball, Shohei Ohtani, was involved in a possible betting scandal three weeks ago that completely changed the game. In an unexpectedly swift turn of events yesterday, it appears that the issue has been resolved.
Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter, was charged by federal prosecutors in a long complaint with embezzling more than $16 million from Ohtani to feed her addiction to gambling. We were only aware of $4.5 million prior to yesterday.
Two sides to this proverbial coin:
- For Ohtani, this looks like exoneration, as written by Ken Rosenthal. The lawsuit backed Ohtani’s account and provided glaring evidence of Mizuhara’s misconduct. The baseball great lost a little cash and a close buddy, but he and the sport of baseball come out of it unscathed. That’s as good as he can hope for. Now he can go on, probably hitting home runs for the best team in baseball.
- Mizuhara’s suffering is far from over. The complaint against him contained alarming details. He allegedly placed approximately 19,000 bets in a three-year span, ranging from $10 to $160,000. Investigators obtained texts that Mizuhara sent to the concerned bookmaker, one of which included the following text: “Technically I did steal from (Ohtani). It’s all over for me.” That’ll do it. Mizuhara is working out a plea deal.
- Here is a thorough analysis of the complete affidavit by Fabian Ardaya, which contains a long list of unpleasant texts from Mizuhara. A choice one: “I’m terrible at this sport betting thing huh? Lol.” Both sad and relatable at the same time.
The inquiry also provided an answer to the question that had been bothering me: How did Mizuhara attain such intimate access to Ohtani’s financials? As it happens, Ohtani was assisted by the interpreter in setting up the accounts, and later on, the interpreter pretended to be him when he called bank officials to approve significant transactions. Woof.
For now, we can all move on.
Feedback Loop: The best major runs over on Day 1
The most crucial item to discuss first is your responses to yesterday’s survey. I completely concur with this count and appreciate that none of us agree with Gary Player. The Masters is fantastic.
The opening round of said fantastic tournament was delayed this morning due to early morning weather, and it was cut short by darkness yesterday. A few observations:
- Current leader Bryson DeChambeau is no longer the man bragging, as Gabby Herzig pointed out, that Augusta is a par 67 for him. This DeChambeau is more astute.
- But Scottie Scheffler, the world’s best golfer, sits just one shot back, recording his first Masters round without a bogey. And with every round he plays, he is thoroughly, uh, mastering Augusta National, as the advanced stats demonstrate. The rest of them ought to be afraid. (He might possibly depart at any time).
- Watch out for “newbie” Ludvig Åberg. He is currently 2-under after 11 holes. He is playing in his first major, as Brody Miller pointed out, even though it does not feel like it. Åberg has already won a PGA Tour tournament, secured a Ryder Cup victory, and swept all college records. This year, he has also performed admirably on the PGA Tour. He is only twenty-four. Now, I might be rooting for this guy.
Oh, and Tiger Woods is 1-under through 13 holes. Not recognizing any possibilities at this time. In less than an hour, the first round resumes at 7:50 a.m. ET. Follow the results live right here on our site.
News to Know
Kentucky picks Pope
UCLA Finalizing an agreement to take over as Kentucky’s next basketball coach is Mark Pope, an insider told The Athletic. Given Pope has not had the most successful tenure at BYU, the hire would be rather surprising. Nevertheless, he was a player for Rick Pitino’s Wildcats in the past and was the 1996 national champion. The change was made hours after Scott Drew, the coach at Baylor, declined the position.
Simpson dead at 76
O.J. Simpson, a former NFL running back who gained notoriety for both his football career and his suspected involvement in the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, passed away from cancer Sunday, his family said. He was seventy-six. To say that Simpson left behind a horrible and vast legacy would be an understatement.
More news
Watch This Game
MLB: Brewers at Orioles (get tickets)
7:05 p.m. ET on Apple TV+
Baltimore boasts one of the league’s most skilled lineups, while Milwaukee has been a pleasant surprise thus far this season. Additionally, conduct early scouting on Jackson Holliday, the top prospect who made his O’s debut on Wednesday night.
NBA: Bucks at Thunder (get tickets)
8 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Although Oklahoma City is still vying for the top spot in the Western Conference, Denver seems to be taking over after the Nuggets’ decisive victory against Minnesota on Wednesday. The Bucks have defeated the Magic and Celtics twice with remarkable ease, even in the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo. This is significant for feelings and sowing alike.
Pulse Picks
There are so, so many athlete podcasts today. But what Charles Tillman and Roman Harper are doing on the “Second Acts” podcast has been so cool. Zak Keefer made an effort to ascertain how these two former Panthers teammates are able to facilitate the opening up of fellow former players. Interesting read.
NFL executives picked their top QBs in the draft. Ahem. Geaux Tigers.
The race for the NHL’s Hart Trophy is more compact this year. More than in previous years, the field is deep. Shayna Goldman provides a very useful analysis of the leaders and their relative advantages.
I loved Mo Dakhil’s breakdown of how NBA Teams genuinely put in Xs and Os to prepare for the postseason. Do you wish to gain some knowledge? Read Mo always.
(Photo: Jung Yeon-je / AFP/ Getty Images)