<figure id="attachment_371887" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3132px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-371887"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="a7542d60"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/05/8c31b82920ec02e5adf0777a8894c775.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-371887" class="wp-caption-text">Shohei Ohtani (left) and Suspect Ippei Mizuhara (right). Behind this intimacy, he was telling &#8220;malicious lies&#8221; and deceiving everyone.</figcaption></figure>
It seems Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers was a cash cow after all.
In a fraud case involving former exclusive interpreter Kazuhira Mizuhara, who was prosecuted by federal prosecutors for embezzling $16 million (approximately 2.526 billion yen) from Ohtani&#8217;s bank account, the flow of the missing money has been revealed.
According to sources from multiple informants reported by the U.S. sports media &#8220;ESPN,&#8221; $500,000 (approximately 78.5 million yen) of gambling losses paid to bookmaker Matthew Boyer by Mizuhara were converted into chips and used at resort casinos in Las Vegas and California by Boyer, his wife, and their friends.
Mizuhara, a suspect, was one of the 600 bettors under Boyer&#8217;s management, with a debt of $40.7 million (approximately 6.427 billion yen). Boyer himself was known as a high roller who frequented resort casinos, unafraid to lose millions of dollars in Las Vegas, where he was referred to as a &#8220;whale&#8221; on the casino floor.
&#8220;Boyer deposited money sent by Mizuhara into a casino account in Las Vegas. From there, he withdrew it as chips and converted his winnings into cash. Authorities are investigating this as potential money laundering,&#8221; said a local media reporter.
However, Boyer himself lacked talent in gambling. From June 2022 to October 2023, he lost $7.9 million (approximately 1.247 billion yen). He also faced lawsuits regarding loans from resorts, and later, after a federal police raid on his home, he was banned from casinos across the United States.
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Mr. Bowyer thought, Ohtani has my ass..."></div>
In the end, the money that Ohtani earned through hard work was being freely used by Mizuhara and Boyer. Moreover, Boyer&#8217;s wife, Nicole, enjoyed various VIP perks known as &#8220;comps&#8221; from the resort side, including show tickets, golf, free dining, and suites.
&#8220;High-profile customers receive VIP treatment from the casino, with travel expenses and hotel fees covered. Nicole took full advantage of this to live extravagantly on-site. Ohtani probably never imagined his money would be used in such a way,&#8221; said a sports major reporter.
The Boyers, too, had relied on Ohtani.
In November 2022, when Mizuhara emailed Boyer asking to increase the betting limit, he said:
&#8220;I think you understand, but I have no problem with the payment!&#8221;
And he hinted that Ohtani was behind him.
In March of this year, when all the misdeeds came to light, Mizuhara asked Boyer if he had seen the news. Boyer responded.
&#8220;Oh, but that&#8217;s all nonsense. Clearly, you haven&#8217;t stolen from him (Ohtani). I understand it&#8217;s a setup.&#8221;
It is said that he responded with that.
For the first time, Mizuhara reportedly said to Mr. Boyer
&#8220;Strictly speaking, I stole from him. It&#8217;s over for me.&#8221;
And he confessed this revelation.
“Boyer may have thought that Mizuhara was the one gambling, but he likely believed Ohtani had his back. For him, it must have felt like catching a major sponsor. Information suggests that the Boyers&#8217; extravagant lifestyle escalated after meeting Mizuhara.&#8221; (Previously mentioned local media reporter)
With this in mind, Mizuhara&#8217;s deception not only against Ohtani but also against Mr. Boyer is serious. According to local reports, the chances of Ohtani recovering the lost money are almost zero.

 Kojiro Yamada

 Shohei Otani of the Dodgers is on track to win the Triple Crown with home runs in three consecutive games. Behind the scenes of his success, the investigation of former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who was arrested for illegal gambling, is underway, and what has become clear is that ......

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