Disgraced Dodgers Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara Implicates Shohei Ohtani in Newly Released Audio Confession
Forbes reports on the release of exclusive audio from a 2024 phone conversation between ESPN reporter Tisha Thompson and Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. In the recording, Mizuhara initially claimed Ohtani knew about and helped pay off a $4.5 million illegal gambling debt, wiring funds in $500,000 increments marked as loans. Mizuhara blamed his financial troubles on trying to 'keep up with' Ohtani's lifestyle while earning $85,000 a year. However, Mizuhara later recanted, admitting he stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani's account without his knowledge. Ohtani was cleared by federal investigators, and Mizuhara is now serving a prison sentence. The newly released audio provides the only extensive discussion of the scandal from Mizuhara's perspective.
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