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Representatives for Shohei Ohtani have not provided specific details regarding which authorities they contacted after the Los Angeles Dodgers star was allegedly the “victim of a massive theft.”
Tisha Thompson and Paula Lavigne of ESPN reported Tuesday the representatives have declined to answer questions about which authorities they reached out to despite being asked multiple times.
Such questions were only natural after Ohtani’s lawyers issued a statement saying the 29-year-old’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole from him. The statement said, “Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.”
Thompson and Lavigne noted there were no local, state or federal agencies that confirmed they received a report specifically from Ohtani’s camp, although the Department of Homeland Security confirmed it is investigating the situation alongside the IRS.
This comes after Ohtani spoke publicly about the situation for the first time on Monday and issued a statement.
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“I never bet on baseball or any other sports, or never have asked somebody to do it on my behalf. I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports.”
– Shohei Ohtani pic.twitter.com/LWDvqXsJjr
While he did not take questions from reporters, he denied ever betting on baseball or any other sporting events and said, “Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.”
On Wednesday, Thompson reported the Dodgers fired Mizuhara after it was revealed at least $4.5 million was transferred from Ohtani’s bank account to a bookmaking operation that is under investigation.
At first, a spokesperson for Ohtani said the funds were transferred to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debt. Mizuhara himself even provided an account suggesting as much.
Yet things changed when Ohtani’s spokesperson reached out and disputed Mizuhara’s version of events and pointed to a statement from lawyers that said, “In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities.”
It remains unclear which authorities that was referring to, though, despite multiple follow-up attempts by ESPN.
Ohtani played in each of the Dodgers’ two games against the San Diego Padres in the Seoul Series and also played in Monday’s Spring Training game against his former team in the Los Angeles Angels even though Major League Baseball announced it is also investigating Mizuhara’s alleged theft.
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