It’s been over two years since Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was arrested and charged with stealing more than $16 million from the MLB slugger.
A judge sentenced Mizuhara to 57 months in prison in 2025 for bank fraud and filing a false tax return. He must also somehow pay Ohtani back all the money he took from him.
Ohtani, who claimed that he had no knowledge of Mizuhara stealing millions of dollars from his bank account, received no punishment from Major League Baseball, and the scandal appeared to have blown over heading into the 2026 season.
Now, however, it is back in the news as ESPN has released new audio of Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stealing $200K by posing as the 4-time MVP.
The audio is taken from The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani, the fifth installment of a brand-new ESPN 30 For 30 podcast. It reveals Mizuhara pretending to be Ohtani during a February 2022 call attempting to approve a money transfer to Mathew Bowyer’s account. Bowyer, a former bookmaker from Southern California, received millions of dollars from Ohtani through wire transfers arranged by Mizuhara.
The podcast will hear from some of the people involved in the scandal
Bowyer, while awaiting his sentencing, claimed he believes the Los Angeles Dodgers star knew about the illegal gambling that was taking place with his money. He also stated that he believes Ohtani did not make any sports bets or wagers because Ohtani was at baseball games while someone placed bets.
In audio from a trailer for the upcoming ESPN podcast series, the beginning of a phone interview with Mizuhara hears him saying, “I’m Ippei Mizuhara, and you do have permission to record me.” It will be the first time he has spoken publicly since his sentencing.
Ippei Mizuhara won over $142 million gambling with Shohei Ohtani’s money, but he also lost around $183 million. The Nevada Gaming Control Board gave the Resorts World casino in Las Vegas a $10.5 million fine over its connection to the money-laundering scheme involving the former interpreter.