Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara caught SHOCKINGLY impersonating Dodgers’ star on audio call to attempt wire transfer

An audio of Ippei Mizuhara impersonating Shohei Ohtani to wire a $200,000 transfer has been released as a piece of evidence.

Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara caught SHOCKINGLY impersonating Dodgers’ star on audio call to attempt wire transfer

Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)

A major update regarding the Ippei Mizuhara betting scandal was revealed on Thursday. An audio clip regarding Mizuhara shockingly impersonating the Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani on a phone call to wire transfers has gone viral.

The MLB world received a massive shock last year when allegations of gambling and massive theft regarding Mizuhara broke out. The 40-year-old, who served as the translator for Ohtani, later pleaded guilty to these charges.

YouTube video

As per reports from Evan Drellich of The Athletic, an audio of him was released by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The audio begins with a clip of someone asking who they are speaking with to which Mizhuara replies “Shohei Ohtani”.

FS Video

The translator further went on to explain that he was having some trouble trying to login to the online banking. He later revealed that he was trying to wire $200,000 for a “car loan” with the buyer being his “friend”.

Check out the audio clip below:

Mizuhara has been alleged to have bypassed the bank’s security measures by having Ohtani’s information being sent to his phone number and email address. The federal agencies are seeking a five-year imprisonment sentence for him at the moment.

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Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani [Image Credit: Imago]

Ippei Mizuhara admits feeling ‘guilty’ for betraying Shohei Ohtani

The latest news of Ippei Mizuhara has once again left the MLB world stunned. As an alleged audio of him impersonating Shohei Ohtani went viral, the translator also opened up about his gambling addiction. He even admit that he felt “guilty” for betraying Ohtani.

Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani
Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani (Image via Imago)

Mizuhara released a letter to Judge John W. Holcomb asking for a lenient sentence. In this letter, he wrote about his struggles and how he met Matt Bowyer, the person Mizuhara was indebted to.

Being desperate for money at the time, I stupidly thought this might be an opportunity to help myself out financially and started using his website for sports betting. Before I knew it, my gambling debt had grown so much that I couldn’t find any way to pay it off but by using Shohei’s money. I felt terribly guilty about putting my hands on his money, but at the time, it seemed like the only solution.

Ippei Mizuhara wrote in the letter as per The Athletic

The federal agencies are now also looking for $18.1 million in restitution from Mizuhara. The $17 million from this will go to Ohtani with $1.1 million going to the IRS. The next hearing regarding this case is on February 6th.

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Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani had been in touch with each other since 2013 when the two-way star was still in Japan. After making a move to the United States while joining the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, Mizuhara became the official interpreter of Ohtani.