Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara was charged with bank fraud on Thursday, after authorities revealed that he stole $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s account without him knowing.
He used a number of tactics to prevent Ohtani from knowing what was going on, including changing the settings of the account to not send alerts after transactions and impersonating Ohtani in conversations with the bank.
Mizuhara allegedly did it to cover betting expenses.
Ohtani recently told the media that Mizuhara was telling lies and he was very disappointed.
The fact that Ohtani didn’t realize there was $16 million missing from his account has raised suspicions around the baseball universe, and some people think Mizuhara is a “fall guy” who is taking the blame for Ohtani’s actions.
Regarding that version or idea, law enforcement has stated there hasn’t been anything to suggest Ohtani is to blame.
“U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada: ‘At this point Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case,’” Dodgers insider Fabian Ardaya tweeted.
U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada: “At this point Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case.”
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) April 11, 2024
It’s possible that Ohtani has so much money through his MLB salary and endorsements that he is careless enough not to notice the missing money.
While many people aren’t buying that story, it’s the official version by law enforcement authorities in this case.
In the meantime, Ohtani is still playing for the first-place Dodgers; while Mizuhara likely faces serious consequences because of his actions.
At this point, while there are things that don’t quite make sense, the notion of blaming Ohtani is losing traction as more details about the scandal surface.
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