Shohei Ohtani 'Grateful' for Ippei Mizuhara Investigation, Wants to Focus on Baseball

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani says he is "very grateful" for the federal investigation into his former interpreter for allegedly stealing $16 million from Ohtani for use on illegal sportsbooks.

"I'm very grateful for the Department of Justice's investigation," Ohtani said Friday in Japanese, per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. "For me personally, this marks a break from this, and I'd like to focus on baseball."

Mizuhara's lawyer, Michael Freedman, said in a statement that Mizuhara "wishes to apologize" to Ohtani, the Dodgers and Major League Baseball for his actions:

Ippei Mizuhara, who had served as Ohtani's interpreter since his MLB career began in 2017, surrendered to law enforcement Friday, ESPN's Alden González reported.

Mizuhara was released on a $25,000 bond "with numerous conditions," including a ban on contacting Ohtani, according to The Athletic's Sam Blum.

Federal authorities are leveling a charge of bank fraud against Mizuhara.

He could face up to 30 years in prison if found guilty.

The investigation involves more than $16 million transferred from a bank account owned by Ohtani to cover gambling debts between 2021 and 2024, according to a federal affidavit detailing the criminal charge.

The affidavit alleges that Mizuhara had access to this bank account and at times impersonated Ohtani to transfer the money.

When announcing the news Thursday, federal authorities called Ohtani a "victim" who had "cooperated fully," including providing law enforcement with "digital devices and personal information," according to Steve Henson of the Los Angeles Times.

The affidavit stated that Ohtani told federal authorities he did not authorize transfers from his bank account to the sportsbook, countering Mizuhara's original claim to ESPN that Ohtani had paid off his gambling debts.

The document also found that none of the alleged 19,000 bets placed by Mizuhara during the time period under investigation involved baseball.

That news likely came as a relief not just for Ohtani but for MLB. If the 29-year-old Dodgers star was implicated in the scandal, the league would need to decide how to handle the unprecedented situation of player who recently signed the biggest contract in team sports history betting on his own league.

MLB said Thursday that it would "wait until resolution of the criminal proceeding to determine whether further investigation is warranted."