Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese baseball player with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has been involved in a recent gambling incident that has caused uproar. It has been alleged that Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s longtime friend and interpreter, stole almost $4.5 million from the athlete’s bank account and sent it to Mathew Bowyer, an Orange County bookmaker.
After learning about Mizuhara’s purported theft, Ohtani stated he was shocked and that he had never approved of sports bets or money exchanges with bookies. Mizuhara first stated that Ohtani helped him pay off obligations related to gambling, but he later withdrew those claims. This puts Mizuhara and Bowyer under scrutiny and raises the possibility of significant larceny.
Bowyer, who will turn 49 shortly, has a broad history in business, having run a Brazilian jujitsu studio and traded commodities. Despite his endeavors, he had financial difficulties and declared bankruptcy in 2011. There are rumors that Bowyer works in the gaming business and that he was introduced to Mizuhara in 2021 by a common acquaintance.
Sources claim that Mizuhara accumulated large gambling debts, which increased from modest bets to large amounts. It is believed that Bowyer used Mizuhara’s relationship with Ohtani to his advantage in order to draw in additional business. Bowyer’s lawyer, Diane Bass, argues that her client is innocent, saying that Bowyer only spoke with Mizuhara verbally and through texts and did not have any direct contact with Ohtani.