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Audio reveals ex-interpreter impersonating Ohtani
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- Ippei Mizuhara pretended to be Shohei Ohtani during fraudulent $200K wire transfer attempt, bombshell audio reveals
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- Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter impersonated Dodgers star to push through 6-figure wire transfer, audio reveals
Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter impersonated Dodgers star to push through 6-figure wire transfer, audio reveals
A four-minute audio recording was disclosed by federal prosecutors Thursday that shows Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, allegedly attempting to push through a six-figure wire transfer from one of the Los Angeles Dodgersβ starβs accounts by impersonating him.
Mizuhara has been convicted of defrauding Ohtani, the National League MVP and world baseball superstar, and the recording, obtained by The Athletic from the Department of Justice, is a key piece of evidence.
It was mentioned in a court filing, which also had prosecutors recommending a nearly five-year sentence for Mizuhara and an order to repay Ohtani, according to The Athletic.
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Mizuhara, who is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return after stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani, who he was best friends with for years, in June 2024.
The recording was obtained from a bank, assistant U.S. attorney Jeff Mitchell told The Athletic, and it supports prosecutorsβ claims that Mizuhara would call banks to arrange wire transfers.
Prosecutors added that the recording was edited to redact bank names and the name of an "unindicated co-conspirator."
FORMER SHOHEI OHTANI INTERPRETER PLEADS GUILTY TO CHARGES IN SPORTS BETTING CASE
In the recording, Mizuhara clearly states his name is Ohtani after the bank agent asks, "Who am I speaking with?" Mizuhara bypassed the bankβs security measures and changed Ohtaniβs account information to include his own email and phone number.
So, when the bank agent asks Mizuhara to perform a two-factor authentication using a six-digit code sent to a phone number, he can do so because itβs going to his phone instead of Ohtaniβs.
The recording shows Mizuhara matching the numbers, which allows the agent to work on his request, a car loan for $200,000.
"Now recently, weβve come across a trend of fraud and scams, so we have been monitoring the online transactions closely to make sure our clients are not the victim of either," the agent says first. "What is the reason for this transaction?"
Then, the agent asks "Ohtani" what his relationship to the payee is, to which Mizuhara says, "Heβs my friend."
"Have you met your friend in person"" the agent responds.
"Yes, many times," Mizuhara answered.
Mizuhara said he stole from Ohtani to cover "major gambling debt," which he said in a brief statement after pleading guilty.
"I went ahead and wired money β¦ with his bank account," Mizuhara said in the statement at the time.
Prosecutors asked that the restitution amount bet set at nearly $17 million for Ohtani, though it was noted Mizuhara is unable to pay that back to the All-Star. Another $1.1 million in restitution is being sought by the IRS.
The ex-interpreterβs winning bets totaled over $142 million, which he deposited into his own bank account and not Ohtaniβs. His losing bets were around $183 million. He did not bet on baseball.
There is also no indication Ohtani bet on baseball.
The Athletic reported the court filing says that, between December 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara placed around 19,000 bets online through Matthew Bowyer, his bookie who also pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business in August 2024.
Mizuharaβs debt was up to $40.7 million.
"His years-long theft of funds from Mr. Ohtani and the myriad lies he told to Mr. Ohtaniβs agents and financial advisors to cover up his theft represent a calculated betrayal of the very person he was hired to help," Mitchell wrote in the court filing.
"To summarize how Iβm feeling right now, Iβm just beyond shocked," Ohtani said in a statement on the matter last year. "Itβs really hard to verbalize how Iβm feeling at this point.
"Iβm very saddened and shocked that someone who I trusted has done this."
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- Georgia high school basketball player assaults pair of athletes from opposing team, video shows
Georgia high school basketball player assaults pair of athletes from opposing team, video shows
Tempers flared during a high school basketball game in Georgia this month. The heated moment appeared to spark a physical altercation between players from opposing teams.
TMZ reported that the fight in question happened during a game between Sonoraville High School and Rockmart High School on Jan. 3 in Calhoun, Georgia. Calhoun is located approximately 70 miles from downtown Atlanta.
A video posted to social media appeared to show an unidentified Rockmart player shoving one of Sonoraville's athletes to the ground. The Rockmart athlete then immediately hit the Sonoraville player in the face immediately after he regained his footing.
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The Rockmart player was later seen punching a separate player from the opposing team.
The second Sonoraville player was hit after he dashed toward the scuffle. Spectators in the crowd could be heard making noises as they reacted to the situation. The video also showed some individuals moving from the stands to the court area to intervene.
An incident report from the Gordon County Sheriffβs Office suggested a Rockmart player was provoked by the repeated use of a racial slur by the player from the opposing team.
The teenager who appeared to initiate physical contact during the incident faces two charges of simple battery, per the police report. The brawl broke out during the third quarter of the game.
Officials from Rockmart High School and Sonoraville High School have yet to offer public comment on the incident.
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