Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter charged with bank fraud 

The historical star's innocence has been proven. I'm glad that everyone knew this. ESPN should apologize for instigating the misunderstanding. The people who took advantage of this and posted derogatory posts should be arrested.

He got robbed by trusted friend and got booed by ohtani haiters. How tough situation was he has gone through.

now everyone apologize.

The people who call Ohtani "fool" in this case are ordinary people who care more about money than baseball. Ohtani is a strange guy who values ​​baseball more than money. No more than that. But you know what? So he has a special talent. And I want to tell the skeptics. You should know that not everyone looks at the numbers in their account every day and grins.

What amazes me the most is that there still are idiots believing they are way smarter than the federal investigators and better qualified to look into the matter. The criminal complaint has determined that SHOHEI IS INNOCENT and if you can't stand it, try your hardest to prove otherwise.

Ohtani has been subjected to media harassment every day.American media didn't believe him.Apologize to him and the fans.

The main issue lies in conducting an interview with Ippei, a suspect, without Ohtani's knowledge and subsequently making it public. This has cast unwarranted suspicion on him. Imagine not only being robbed of a large sum but also being betrayed by someone you've trusted for years, only to find yourself absent on that day, while TV reports portray the suspect's words as if they were your own. A correction statement should be issued, in my opinion. Ohtani made significant donations to Ishikawa Prefecture's earthquake relief efforts last year and provided gloves worth hundreds of millions of yen to all elementary schools nationwide. With multiple sponsorship deals, his income is substantial. There's a high possibility that Ippei, the interpreter-secretary, exploited his authority during Ohtani's recovery, potentially misusing it due to gambling debts. Furthermore, recent findings suggest misuse of US bank accounts with Check Writing Privileges for online transfers, raising concerns. For journalists, including ESPN reporters, it's essential to verify information directly with the individual rather than through an intermediary before publication.

Money is just a byproduct to Ohtani, something that allows him to do what he loves, eat sleep (in a private jet) and play ball at the highest level, nothing more nothing less. That’s why it’s hard for haters to understand why he wasn’t drooling over his own money all the time like most of us would if we had that kind of money.

ESPN and Rich Eisen must apologize to Shohei Ohtani 😢. What a shame !! And No need to negotiate a plead guilty for this vicious criminal, IPPEI .

How about official apology from media in USA attacking Ohtani and not believing in him.

I cried for Shohei when I heard the details of the crime committed by Mr. Mizuhara.

Ohtani is not Pete Rose.

i have no doubt in my mind that Ohtani is innocent. He was a clear target, a Japanese who speaks no english by a Man who lives in the US for most of his life. People saying that he was the fall guy must all be sick in their minds. He's guilty for being too trusting, bordering to stupidity, BUT no way knows that he's being robbed. It can happen to anyone. believe me

I hope even the anti-Dodger or anti-Asian haters learned why Ohtani is the all-time unicorn. It’s his total, superhuman focus on baseball and doing his best. In addition to losing millions, being betrayed by his close friend and confidante, and being smeared by dirtbags with idiotic conspiracy theories, the entire work watched his every move and gossiped in front of his face. IT DID NOT MATTER TO THE GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER OF ALL TIME. Check his awesome game record, you know-nothing fools

アメリカ当局に感謝します。迅速にありがとう。素晴らしい仕事です。

Most Japanese believed that Otani was innocent and not involved in gambling. On the other hand, most US people suspected that Otani was primarily involved in gambling. This difference is surprising.

What became clear from the recent press conference by the judicial authorities is that Mizuhara did not resort to tapping into Ohtani san’s bank account out of desperation from gambling, but rather, he intentionally stole from Ohtani san’s bank account to gamble with Ohtani san’s assets from the very beginning. Could there be a more typical motive for a thief? Regardless, all we can do is hope that Ohtani san’s wounded heart heals as soon as possible.

Why do Americans and the American media criticize Otani so much, but do not apologize to him when the facts are known? Is it a sense of discrimination against Asians and Japanese?

Poor Shohei. He's innocent.

If ohtani was a gambler as many people suspected, he would have wanted every bit of his salary paid into his bank account every month, not 10 years later!

Just ESPN must apologize, Ohtani.

So they got there text messages between each other SINCE THEY MET in 2013!! And never did they once speak about gambling! It’s sad that people were slandering his name off of no credibility and basing it on money transferring. ESPN needs to apologize because that interview screwed up perception of Ohtani.

poor Ohtani....😭

BOY does ESPN look stupid now.

Good bye Ohtani Haters, I can feel your depression.

The haters are still making excuses. They are now saying that the feds and IRS are letting it go because Shohei is the face of baseball.

Shohei has a great humanity. Any Japanese know it.

Ohtani is a generational talent, much like undefeated Japanese boxer Naoya “the Monster” Inoue.

These same people asking how Shohei got ripped off to the tune of $16million forgot Tom Brady got $30million stolen by Sam Bankman Fried.

Now SHUT UP PETE ROSE.

It’s time to get back at those who spread defamatory information. Post the names of all those who did over the past month so we can boycott them and their sponsors

If only investigations on political figures would be so diligent and performed in such a thorough manner

Most times it's your own people who will bring you down the fastest.

It's not just $16m, Ohtani paid taxes on his income. Ippei got money without paying taxes, and the bookmaker paid no tax either, as they said it was "loan repayments," so they are not subject to tax. Ohtani probably pays approx 40% or more tax, so tax itself is another $6.4m!!

Hope the trial will be on TV

Normal people: Ohtani has been cleared; he is INNOCENT! Tin Foil Hat Haters : The Feds are robots!!

I knew ohtani was innocent. Just look at his baby face and behavior. And ippei his face addiction and evil.

Stoke more than 16M? He has access to Shohei bank acct. This is just awful-Wow!

Stephen A smith needs to issue an apology with his hating As’s

アメリカのスポーツ記者の大谷さんに対する酷い発言に日本人は心を痛めていますよ。 アメリカでアンチから攻撃を受けながらも、野球に集中している大谷さんに敬意。

The interpreter had the job of a lifetime. But he just control himself. He had to be greedy and steal from an innocent player who just wants to play baseball.

Ippei was too much Americanized

Damn shame!

The interpreter was employed by the Angels could possibly be civilly accountable.

This would mean that the bank is liable ---- Banks across the U.S. and Europe use this sort of voice verification to let customers log into their account over the phone. Some banks tout voice identification as equivalent to a fingerprint, a secure and convenient way for users to interact with their bank. This is concerning for all Americans, its a flawed system that must be shut down.

大谷みたいな選手は二度と現れないと言われてるけど、一平みたいなギャンブラーも二度と現れないだろうな

That lovely Picture is gone! What bad stories!!!

大谷選手はほんとに何万年に1人の逸人…今回アメリカ人がどれだけ浅はかかを私は個人的に思い知らされた。言葉わるいけどまじばかだなって。ごめんな。彼の未熟な部分はもちろん彼の課題の一つだけど、彼のあんな純粋で強くてまっすぐでかっこいい魂はほんっとに貴重。自分日本人でほんとよかった。ばんざい🙌 I was blown away by how the americans mentality works,how they looked at Ohtani as suspect… I kinda want him back in our baseball league…in Japan… we love you Shohei we root for you ❤🤍

The press is fishing like "mad crazy", Ridiculous.

If $16 million is not enough to give him the Maximum sentence then something is wrong.

When can I expect this story on Amazon prime?

水原の面白いところは、賭博で勝ったときは水原の口座に入金し、負けても大谷の口座に負けたお金を戻すことはなかった。大谷は水原のATMになってしまった。

I knew now why Ippei has long bangs to hide his eyes

TBH I have work at Angels Stadium last year. I didn’t expect this would happened

His trial drama would make Japanese media have a field day. I wish i could be in courtroom for hearing some people sit on the witness stand.😅

What’s up Ohtani haters lol

My question is, will Shohei get back those stolen money? Or the illegal book maker gets to keep it?

Shohei is a victim of his own money theft. And even if the money is legally claimed, it is so expensive that Ippei has no ability to pay it and will never get it back. Shohei is a victim who is likely to lose his money as it was stolen from him. What is this strange way of thinking where the victim is bashed instead of the perpetrator?

事実でアンチを黙らせるのすごい笑笑 おめでとう！

I remember watching ESPN 30 for 30 episode Broke… so many athletes had millions stolen from them without their knowledge. I think most didn’t learn about it till the end of their careers.

Ippei gon spill the beans on the stand

it's not even about the money...he's just addicted to high stake gambling

Mizuhara reminds all of us that you can't trust anybody if and when you have a ton of money. Mizuhara probably wasn't a bad guy in the beginning, but working closely with a rich man like Ohtani turned him into a crook. Sad. He had a really good job with good reputation. Now, he literally ruined his own life.

Poor Shohei, and some media think he’s involved in gambling until today

Mizuhara not Mitsuhara

If someone got DOB, SSN and legal name and account can it be easy to do scamming?

My question is where is Mizuhara?

Greed will do people in this days, Karma coming to the greedy. God Blesses the Good People.

Even in Japan, Tisha Thompson has become as famous as Bob Davidson.

'Free Ohtani!!"

三大ネットワークでニュース速報になる大谷の存在感。過去にいないレベルの日本人やね。

From new york times: In coming clean, though, Mizuhara made one last effort to protect himself from the law, according to two people familiar with the conversation, who asked for anonymity to discuss a private matter. He asked his patron to go along with the story that he had just told Ohtani’s teammates, his advisers and a reporter for ESPN who had made inquires about $4.5 million in wire transfers from Ohtani’s account to an illegal bookmaker in California. Ohtani refused and called his agent, Nez Balelo, into the conference room. Balelo then had several other people dial in as they managed the crisis: a lawyer in Los Angeles; Matthew Hiltzik, a crisis communications executive in New York; and a new interpreter whom Ohtani’s inner circle could trust. Mizuhara’s wife also joined the meeting.

ippei, im disappointed as Japanese.

I was someone who is awfully suspicious of Ohtani. But the 'winnings' being reported in the translator's bank account is quite damning and pretty much a final nail in the coffin. I do still remain very confused as to how that 'unaired' interview with ESPN ever took place where it seemed like Ohtani's people had communication with ESPN and in the interview they said Ohtani knew about it and was willingly paying off debts. Then the story immediately changed after that. How did that interview ever get greenlit? I'm willing to believe this was not Ohtani's gambling given where the winnings popped up, but that still seems like such an odd moment in the timeline that deserves clarification.

It was really shocking for Ohtani fans in Japan to know that Ippei deliberately set up this in 2018, years before he started stealing money from Shohei, saying that Shohei wanted his account private. Shohei was not the only one who trusted Ippei. We all DID. Ippei betrayed all the trust he got from everyone and almost destroyed Shohei's career. So sinful.

Shohei Otani is a star, Ippei Mizuhara is a shooting star

But why did the stories keep changing?

Japanese people think of Ippei, "That jerk!!"

who thinks a SEPPUKU is coming next.. there is now way this guy goes back to Japan after his jail sentence.....

People in US your guys does not know about this guy, Ipei. He is just spoiled and damn. Now he uses his father's money to support him.

You know you're rich when you miss 60 16 million and you don't even know... I'm missing $16 and I know.

It’s MiZuhara, not Mitsu

Investigate a little more

So who's ox was killed to blow the whistle on this ?

if you don't believe that today was a day that justice was served on both ippei mizzuhara and o.j. simpson -you're probably somebody with a monster grudge against law enforcement

Have they arrested him?

訴追されても「ミスター水原」なんだ……。

So he made 19,000 bets and he never ask Ohtani which team to bet on?

The same identification of language right?

Eddy or Eddie? Eddy Wing or Eddy Wong? 👀 #JustSayin.....

the mdf took his job as an opportunity to do gambling lol. lock him up.

名前が日本人の英語コメだらけで最高や

Scapegoating Mizuhara

Ohtani needs to start paying more attention to what is going on around him. Lesson learned.

全米のニュース速報で日本人選手が上げられるなんてまずない。イッペイも50年後くらいに映画になるなw

It’s ok everyone. Shohei makes enough money from endorsements etc, 16 million will be written off as a loss probably…. in 1 year!

Chile, what do defect toe mean? Does it have to have to do with feet? I do have a foot fetish you knows

ippei

It's nice that millionaires still get Justice

日本時代から母親にお金の管理任せてた程お金に興味がない男。これを知ってる人は大谷がギャンブラーって思う人はいない。何故なら大谷はお金よりも野球が全てだから。