If that’s not an exoneration for Shohei Ohtani, it’s as good as it gets, barring another bombshell. Former Ohtani performer Ippei Mizuhara is presumed innocent, but the feds 37-page criminal complaint against him is overwhelming. One of the text messages obtained by Mizuhara’s government to his bookmaker regarding Ohtani – “Technically, I stole him” – would appear to be the evidentiary equivalent of a mic drop.
People will believe what they want to believe. In the age of social media and politicized television networks, conspiracy theories abound. But Thursday’s developments were not the result of an investigation by Major League Baseball, which would be more open to skepticism, given Ohtani’s value to the sport. Nor can they be dismissed simply on the grounds that Mizuhara “takes responsibility” for Ohtani in exchange for a massive payout, not when the bank fraud charge comes with a maximum of 30 years in prison. .
No, this investigation was the work of the United States Department of Justice, in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Homeland Security. At a press conference Thursday, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada clearly and categorically called Ohtani a victim, while describing Mizuhara as the player’s “de facto manager” and, yes, the perpetrator of a massive theft. The complaint against Mizuhara accuses him of stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to finance what Estrada called the performer’s “insatiable appetite” for illegal sports gambling.
According to the complaint, Mizuhara had access to the bank account Ohtani opened for his baseball salary. He refused to provide the same access to Ohtani’s professional advisors, including the player’s agent, Nez Balelo of CAA, saying Ohtani wanted to keep the account private. Mizuhara posed as Ohtani in conversations with bank officials so he could make wire transfers to his illegal bookmaker. And on 19,000 bets between December 2021 and January 2024, he won about $142 million gambling and lost about $183 million, for a net loss of almost $41 million. The investigation found no evidence that he had bet on baseball.
Ohtani, in his only press conference on the subject, said he was unaware of Mizuhara’s game. The complaint supports this claim. The government, in reviewing text conversations between Ohtani and Mizuhara, found no discussion of gambling or authorization of wire transfers from Ohtani’s account to the bookmaker. If Ohtani is guilty of anything, based on the complaint, it is placing too much trust in a man he considered his friend. Paying too little attention to your own finances. To be naive.
None of this is a crime. None of this warrants a suspension from Major League Baseball. Ohtani wouldn’t be the first sports legend to get cheated out of millions or lose money due to negligence or mismanagement. John Elway, Kareem Abdul Jabbar And Bobby Orr are just three examples.
Mizuhara, however, wasn’t the only one to fail with Ohtani. Where exactly was Balelo? Agents generally do not act as financial managers. Negotiating contracts and managing millions are separate responsibilities. But if Mizuhara had denied Balelo and other Ohtani advisors access to a particular account, wouldn’t that have raised alarms? Or was Balelo simply reluctant to confront or antagonize Ohtani, fearing his meal ticket would leave for another agent before he became a $700 million man?
Another thing that’s curious: Ohtani’s complete ignorance of Mizuhara’s game, considering the time they spent together. The complaint says Mizuhara made an average of nearly 25 bets per day, averaging $12,800 per bet over a period of nearly two years. It seems doubtful that Mizuhara betrayed any outward emotion in riding his gambling roller coaster. His text messages with his bookie, as recounted in the complaint, certainly indicated a level of panic.
Perhaps Ohtani was simply too committed to maintaining his performance as a pitcher and hitter to notice a change in Mizuhara’s behavior, if such a change occurred. He certainly seemed comfortable letting Mizuhara control many aspects of his life. And he apparently sleeps up to 12 hours A day. Unconsciousness, while not the most attractive trait, is also not a crime or grounds for suspension. Ohtani, before his recent marriage, certainly gave the impression that he cared little about anything other than baseball.
The fans will have their say, as they always do. About what Ohtani knew or didn’t know. Whether he was more involved than the government claimed. Even about his wife, who seems to come out of nowhere. Passionate interests – “the guy on my team is innocent, the guy on your team is guilty” – usually inform this type of discourse. Often the talk has no basis in reality.
Ohtani, from the moment news broke less than a month ago about Mizuhara’s wire transfers to an illegal bookmaking operation, has seemed remarkably unfazed. He made a strong statement at his press conference, saying he had no knowledge of how his money disappeared. After a relatively slow offensive start, he is hitting .433 with nine extra-base hits and a 1.435 OPS in his last seven games. A hot streak, even by his standards.
This story is not quite over. THE The New York Times reported Wednesday that Mizuhara was in negotiations with the government to plead guilty. Such a plea could result in a lesser sentence for Mizuhara. The U.S. Attorney’s Office expects Mizuhara to turn himself in to federal authorities on Friday, although he will not be asked to plead guilty at that time. A guilty plea could result in a lesser sentence for Mizuhara. But it would also allow for greater closure, amounting to a public admission of what Mizuhara confirmed to his bookie: “Technically, I did indeed steal it.”
The league released a statement saying it was awaiting the outcome of the criminal proceedings before determining whether further investigation should be conducted. Commissioner Rob Manfred, however, appears likely to get the result he wanted, a quick conclusion to the whole matter, with Ohtani cleared of any wrongdoing.
Not everyone will be happy, pretend the outcome for Ohtani can’t be that clear. Somewhere on social media, someone will come up with a new theory about what happened, and an undercurrent of skepticism will spread again. This is the world in which we live. When people want their version of the truth, they’re going to find it, no matter how unfounded.
Conspiracy theorists are going to have to work hard on this, however. For Ohtani, exoneration appears to be within reach.
(Top photo of Mizuhara and Ohtani in Korea last month: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)