A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment. Matthew Hiltzik, Ohtani’s spokesman, referred to the player’s detailed explanation he gave to the media two weeks ago, when Ohtani said Mizuhara had stolen from him and that he had promised to fully cooperate with federal and Major League Baseball investigations.
“I have never bet on baseball or any other sport and have never asked anyone to do so on my behalf,” Ohtani said. “And I have never used a bookmaker to bet on sport. “Until a few days ago, I didn’t know this was happening.”
The theft allegations surfaced when the Dodgers were in Seoul to open the season with games against the San Diego Padres. Interest in the team has been intense since it signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract in December. But as he and his new teammates prepared for their opening matches, reporters began asking questions about suspicious wire transfers from Ohtani’s account that had surfaced during a federal investigation into an alleged sportsbook. Rather than inform Ohtani personally, the superstar’s agent and Mizuhara attempted to handle the crisis themselves.
Mizuhara, communicating with Agent Nez Balelo, offered different versions of what happened. First, Mizuhara said Ohtani paid an unnamed teammate’s debts; then he said that he himself had accumulated debts with the bookmaker and that Ohtani had made him dance. These changing stories alarmed Major League Baseball executives, who feared Ohtani would be tarnished by a connection to the game.
Eleven executives from the Dodgers and Major League Baseball learned about the wire transfers — but with Ohtani still in the dark — the Dodgers asked Mizuhara to address the team in the clubhouse after Game 1 in Seoul. He told the team that he was addicted to gambling and was in heavy debt, and that Ohtani, his close friend for years, had paid his debts.
At this point, Ohtani, who is not fluent in English but can understand the gist of some conversations, became suspicious. After Mizuhara’s speech in the clubhouse, Ohtani told reporters, he confronted Mizuhara at the team hotel. It was then, Ohtani said, that Mizuhara told him he had stolen the money from his account. The Dodgers immediately fired him.
