After signing a $700 million mega deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the biggest moves any recent sports star in history, Japanese baseball genius Shohei Ohtani entered the 2024-25 MLB season with great hopes for a championship that he felt short of as a former Los Angeles Angel. Yet the spotlight has not been directed to the 29-year-old. Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has instead received growing attention by MLB fans, as he is now under federal indictment and charged with bank fraud for allegedly stealing more than $16 million of Ohtani’s money to pay off gambling debts liable under a California sports bookmaker.

The federal charges came as a shock to many because of the nature of Mizuhara and Ohtani’s close relationship. To Ohtani, Ippei was more than just an interpreter, but also a training partner, butler, and employee. He would pay the monthly bills, buy the groceries, and drive Ohtani to training facilities. And through the investigation, it was revealed that Ippei also had access to one of Ohtani’s bank accounts, to which he took advantage of Ohtani’s trust by funneling the money to pay off the millions of dollars in losses incurred over 19000 bets since November 2021. 

Fans have also speculated that Ohtani was the perpetrator of the bets, who needed to find a way out of the sports gambling scandal by turning his back on his trusted interpreter. However, these claims were quickly dismissed because it is common practice for many interpreters to hold responsibilities over a player’s financials so superstars like Ohtani can focus solely on baseball and improving their performance. 

The recent $16 million gambling debt scandal of Ippei Mizuhara has shed new light on how trust from a superstar like Ohtani can easily be misused for personal gain and potentially jeopardize the entire image and career of the face of the MLB overnight.