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n64ra

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Posts posted by n64ra

  1. 17 minutes ago, n64ra said:

    'Stros are ahead by 2 in the 7th. If we score 3 more runs here for a 7-2 lead entering the 8th, I think we might win by 1. Pressly and Hader are giving up 4 in the last 2 innings. Of course, that might be 4 runs EACH ...

    Well, we didn't score 3 and Ryan's given up 2 so far (yes error too).

  2. 'Stros are ahead by 2 in the 7th. If we score 3 more runs here for a 7-2 lead entering the 8th, I think we might win by 1. Pressly and Hader are giving up 4 in the last 2 innings. Of course, that might be 4 runs EACH ...

  3. 17 hours ago, Chopper said:

    You'd think not much. Apparently it's where they avoid all regulation and compete with the legally operating companies.

     

    This. Gambling is everywhere and all over sports. Feels like it'd be difficult to make illegal gambling now, so this is what it'd have to be.

  4. 22 hours ago, Chopper said:

    Basically yes. But the situation was so exploitable for him that he didn't even need to explain anything directly to an accountant.

    Mizuhara was point-of-contact and translator for Ohtani in his dealings with his US agent, who doesn't speak Japanese nor do any of their employees. The agent also employs the accountant and other financial staff. Mizuhara was translating both sides of all meetings and conversations with the agent and their staff for Ohtani and even had at least one meeting with them without Ohtani present.

    Ohtani earned a reported $65 Million in in endorsements alone in 2023 through the agent in question. So when Ohtani would occasionally inquire (through Mizuhara) about his overall financial picture maintained by the US agent, it didn't look so bad /s. Plus Mizuhara assisted him with those inquiries and those funds don't include whatever Ohtani had in Japan.

    Mizuhara told the agent that the bank account from which he had made all the wire transfers was private and non-interest bearing, so the agency didn't need to see anything about it for tax or other purposes, and said Ohtani wanted it that way. The agent followed that directive and gave that same directive to the accountants whenever they'd inquire about it, which was apparently more than once. Mizuhara had also compromised it by inserting a fake email contact (one that was one character off from Ohtani's).

    The Fed's investigated whether it could be that Mizuhara was acting on behalf of Ohtani, and/or that Mizuhara's initial claim that it was a loan was factual. But each wire transfer was electronically tied back to Mizuhara. There's no evidence Ohtani knew about what Mizuhara was doing, nor that he had any interest in gambling or knew about the bookies, and that includes that there was almost 2 years of wire transfers solely initiated by Mizuhara, who maintained an ongoing text dialog with the illegal bookie about the wire transfers and his struggles in setting them up, especially initially. Plus Mizuhara was recorded lying to the bank while impersonating Ohtani trying to get those wire transfers rolling. 

    A search of Ohtani's phone showed no evidence that it had ever had accessed the bank account Mizuhara was stealing from. Also that he had never accessed the illegal gambling websites used by the bookie, none of his text messages discussed sports betting or even Mizuhara's gambling debts. Also he had never contacted the bookie nor discussed them with Mizuhara nor anyone else. All of that information was all over Mizuhara's phone plus his interest in gambling (accounts with draftkings and multiple other legal sites.)

    Incidentally, it was an employee of a Vegas casino who first put Mizuhara in touch with the illegal bookie. We're left to wonder how long this might have gone on had the Feds not decided to investigate illegal gambling in the LA area, busted several, gained a cooperating witness, including one tied to the bookie Mizuhara was using.

    What is illegal gambling these days?

  5. On 4/13/2024 at 1:01 PM, Chopper said:

    Per the charges against Ippei Mizuhara and all the documented info it contains, there's nothing for him to sing about.

    The government has recorded phone calls from the bank with audio of Mizuhara posing as Ohtani.

    The government has a list of all bets Mizuhara placed and none were on baseball.

    The government has years of texts (criminal charge says almost 10,000 pages of texts) between Mizuhara and Ohtani, and there's no discussion between them about this entire drama, nor that Ohtani knew anything about Ippei's betting or debts.

    Ohtani told the government’s investigators that he thought all his support staff had access to all of his accounts. The problem was that his support staff (his agent, his financial manager, etc.) did not and do not speak Japanese and their only point of contact was Mizuhara. Incredible that they didn't have their own interpreters.

    Ohtani cooperated with the federal investigation including voluntarily providing his cell phone for a full forensic investigation, and is considered a victim of fraud.

    https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/japanese-language-translator-charged-complaint-illegally-transferring-more-16-million

     

    This helps with the part I didn't follow, which was the accountant missing around $8M a year. Mizuhara must have provided fake translations to explain where the money went.

  6. Still find it hard to believe that Ohtani's accountant didn't notice almost $8M a year missing in '22 and '23.

    • Hook 'Em 1
  7. If I'm Drew, I leave BU in a heartbeat.

    1) He gets paid more.

    2) He gets an awesome college bball job.

    3) if he success despite the KY dysfunction, he's a badass who gets paid more.

    4) If he fails and is fired, BU would hire him back in no time and pay him more (because their replacement is not going to win a title).

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