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Shohei Ohtani Gambling Scandal: Evidence Against Ippei Mizuhara Is ‘Detailed and Concise’ Says ESPN Analyst

Published 04/16/2024, 9:30 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

Ippei Mizuhara’s heel turn is probably the biggest baseball story currently. The once-beloved interpreter of Shohei Ohtani is currently the most questioned man in baseball. However, the real trouble for Mizuhara may have just begun. The 37-page complaint filed by the Federal Investigators has revealed some shocking details regarding the alleged $16 million theft committed by the former interpreter. That has raised an important question: is it game over for Mizuhara?

Famous insider Jeff Passan recently talked about the “detailed and concise” charges made against Mizuhara. Passan was visibly amazed at how deep the allegations ran and revealed some extremely shocking incidents that were reported in the federal complaint. That has given a whole new flavor to this controversy, which has seen baseball’s biggest star’s name being dragged into a gambling scandal.

Ippei Mizuhara’s detailed charges of theft against Shohei Ohtani 

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Jeff Passan revealed during “The Pat McAfee Show” that there isn’t any guilty plea yet and all allegations are based upon the complaint filed by the Federal agencies. However, there was an interesting statement by Passan just after these words. “I’ve read through a lot of criminal complaints before the 37 pages that are outlined here laying the case that Ippei Mizuhara did steal $16 million plus from Shohei. It’s one of the tightest, most concise, detailed damning complaints that I’ve read,” Passan said. But there was much more than that.

Passan revealed that the complaint indicated that there were “thousands and thousands” of pages of texts between Ohtani and Mizuhara. Not one of those texts showed the two talking about gambling in either a straightforward or slag way. That was one of the reasons why the investigators considered the superstar a victim in this case.

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Later, it became quite complicated for Mizuhara. Especially because evidence has been stacked against him. What’s even more eye-opening is his number of bets and just how deep the former interpreter’s debt runs.

Endless pit of gambling—how the interpreter got into millions of debt

Passan revealed that Ippei Mizuhara’s gambling addiction ran so deep that he allegedly made over “19,000” wagers! The shocking part is that all those wagers were made at an average of $12,000. That indicates that the former interpreter had been doing this for a long time. However, the real shocker is that Mizuhara’s debt currently runs to $40 million. 

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Fans have continuously wondered how a man who doesn’t earn millions could generate so much debt. Pat McAfee said, “A lot of people could say it’s easy to gamble when you just have $100 million of somebody else’s money to gamble with.” While that was meant as a satirical joke, it did invoke the comments that many have made. 

Still, Shohei Ohtani seems to be off the hook. But his former friend’s troubles have just begun. With the case just starting, one wonders how many more shocking details will come from now on.

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Written by:

Sanskar Dubey

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Sanskar Dubey is an MLB writer at EssentiallySports. From writing various aspects of baseball like MLB Rule Modifications to diving deep into the world of minor and major leagues, Sanskar covers it all. He loves to write for the sport when there is a hot tussle between the National League and American League throughout the season.
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