Dodgers fire Ohtanis long time interpreter, accused of 'massive theft'

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Sassy Squatch

Damn, legit plot twist. Ohtani actually wasn't involved according to federal investigators.


Summary of the press conference lifted from elsewhere.

Ippei set up Ohtani's bank account for him since his arrival to the US. Ippei was the one responsible for making all purchases for Shohei to help him get settled in the country. Within a few years, Mizuhara changed the settings on Ohtani's account and linked it to his phone. He has had full access to Ohtani's accounts since that time.

Prosecutors have forensic computer evidence in the form of IP addresses and location data that show all transfers and bets came from Ippei's house and devices.

-Prosecutors have multiple call recordings with Ippei and the bank where Mizuhara is pretending to be Ohtani and is authorizing large wire transfers

-Prosecutors confiscated both Ohtani and Ippei's phones. They read every txt message and communication sent between the two over 7 years. There were zero instances where betting or wiring money ever came up. There are thousands of messages between Ippei and the bookmaker, including texts where Ippei admits to stealing from Shohei

-All of the gambling winnings that Ippei made were transferred into his own bank account and not Ohtanis

-The bookmaker has admitted to prosecutors under oath that he knew Ohtani was not a client and that Ippei admitted the truth to him.

-Ippei didn't just steal money for gambling but for multiple other leisure purchases, including over 325k to buy baseball cards on ebay

-Prosecutors have every bet slip that was made with the bookmaker. They number in the tens of thousands. Ippei did not make any bets on baseball. Ohtani did not make any bets at all nor was he aware of Ippei's betting.

So are we supposed to believe Ohtani was so unaware he doesn’t notice millions going out of his accounts? I’ve known rich people. They notice millions going out of their account.