Jump to content

Shohei Ohtani


Firemans4Horn

Recommended Posts

LOL sure. You'd rather believe he's a criminal mastermind who managed to hide all incriminating evidence tying himself to a sad and sorry gambling addiction downfall -- cellular, ip address, voice recordings at bank, and all evidence apparently that exists -- while also having his agent, his bookkeeper and accountant all expose themselves as failing to live up to their fiduciary responsibilities. And having his personal rep admit even to the bookie, the US Attorney and a court that he's guilty of theft.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24542204-usa-v-mizuhara-complaint

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, n64ra said:

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.

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.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/14/2024 at 12:02 PM, Chopper said:

LOL sure. You'd rather believe he's a criminal mastermind who managed to hide all incriminating evidence tying himself to a sad and sorry gambling addiction downfall -- cellular, ip address, voice recordings at bank, and all evidence apparently that exists -- while also having his agent, his bookkeeper and accountant all expose themselves as failing to live up to their fiduciary responsibilities. And having his personal rep admit even to the bookie, the US Attorney and a court that he's guilty of theft.

https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24542204-usa-v-mizuhara-complaint

That’s just pilots error being pilots error. No cr

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)

What if, to cover his debts, Ohtani sold special edition cards like NIL style to fans.  Different types of them and fans could trade them, or sell them online to other fans or institutions.  And he could say they'll certainly appreciate in value as he gets back to the pitcher's mound.  Has any baseball player ever considered licensing themselves out like that, in/on card format that's fungible?  I may have stumbled upon the greatest marketing idea for baseball merch since the ballcap.

Edited by YGIFS
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

What if, to cover his debts, Ohtani sold special edition cards like NIL style to fans.  Different types of them and fans could trade them, or sell them online to other fans or institutions.  And he could say they'll certainly appreciate in value as he gets back to the pitcher's mound.  Has any baseball player ever considered licensing themselves out like that, in/on card format that's fungible?  I may have stumbled upon the greatest marketing idea for baseball merch since the ballcap.

Of what? Of him mowing the grass? Frying an egg? Brushing his teeth?

anything of him in uniform/associated with baseball will be met with the swift/long arm of MLB Licensing

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, YGIFS said:

What if, to cover his debts, Ohtani sold special edition cards like NIL style to fans.  Different types of them and fans could trade them, or sell them online to other fans or institutions.  And he could say they'll certainly appreciate in value as he gets back to the pitcher's mound.  Has any baseball player ever considered licensing themselves out like that, in/on card format that's fungible?  I may have stumbled upon the greatest marketing idea for baseball merch since the ballcap.

Who does Ohtani owe money to?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wait, so baseball trading cards already exist?  I was being facetious.  

I am looking forward to finally seeing him play in Houston later this Summer, figure there was a chance he'd be pitching as well.  But with the injury, we'll settle for DH.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, closetohumping said:

Who does Ohtani owe money to?

He doesn't, but he's out around 24? million if we are to believe the accusations against his interpreter.  That's a huge chunk of change to a guy only making 2m a year in salary. He really needs to pick up some new endorsement deals to fill in that cash, maybe ESPN Bet could use a new frontman?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

He made $65M in endorsement money last year...

And he gets taxed a huge amount for that, about 37%. Plus he's building his own 20 million dollar home/compound in Hawaii, probably spending elsewhere moving to a new city, etc etc.  I know his potential earnings are ungodly, but missing 24m is probably a pretty big dent in his bank account at the moment. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Shot (check the date):

 

 

 

Chaser:

 

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40058806/ohtani-money-mizuhara-bookie-vegas-casino

 

Quote

The series of $500,000 payments Ippei Mizuhara sent from Shohei Ohtani's bank account to an illegal bookmaking operation was forwarded to California and Las Vegas casinos, where the money was deposited in gambling accounts, converted to playing chips and later cashed out to pay the bookie, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the operation told ESPN.

The description of what happened to Ohtani's money sheds new light on the ongoing federal probe that drew global attention after his interpreter, Mizuhara, was accused of stealing $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger to feed what he has called a gambling addiction.

 

Quote

Mathew Bowyer, the California bookmaker who took Mizuhara's bets, was a frequent customer at Las Vegas casino Resorts World. The sources told ESPN that Mizuhara paid his losses to Bowyer's associate, who forwarded the money to his own "marker" accounts at Resorts World and Pechanga Resort Casino in Southern California. The men then withdrew chips from the marker account, gambled with them, and if they won, cashed out.

Bowyer, 49, lost $7.9 million at Resorts World from June 2022 to October 2023, according to multiple sources. After Bowyer's home was raided by federal agents on Oct. 5, he was dubbed a known bookmaker and banned from entering casinos throughout the United States, according to sources with direct knowledge of the ban.

 

Quote

Neither Bowyer nor his associate has been named in any indictment unsealed to date.

Attorneys for both Bowyer and his associate declined to comment.

Multiple sources told ESPN that Resorts World is at the center of what federal authorities described in an affidavit as an investigation into "illegal sports bookmaking organizations operating in Southern California, and the laundering of the proceeds of these operations through casinos in Las Vegas." Twelve people have been charged or convicted to date, and two Vegas casinos have agreed to pay fines, according to the affidavit. Resorts World was served a federal subpoena last August that sought, among other things, documents related to its anti-money laundering policies.

 

 

Spoiler

A spokesperson for Resorts World told ESPN the casino does not comment on ongoing legal matters. "Resorts World Las Vegas takes any suggestion of violations seriously and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation," the spokesperson said.

Resorts World opened its doors to the public in 2021 under the leadership of Scott Sibella, who was MGM Grand's president from 2011 until he left for Resorts World in 2019. Sibella pleaded guilty to charges that, as president of MGM Grand, he failed to file suspicious activity reports about another Southern California bookie, Wayne Nix.

Nix, a former minor league baseball player, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to operating an illegal gambling business and filing a false tax return. His clients included NBA legend Scottie Pippen, former MLB All-Star Yasiel Puig and Maverick Carter, the longtime friend and business manager of NBA superstar LeBron James.

The Nevada Current reported that Resorts World received a federal grand jury subpoena in August seeking "documents relating to the Company's Anti-Money Laundering policies, Know Your Customer practices, policies and practices relating to extensions of credit, comps or other benefits, use of promotional chips, and other customer transactions."

In September, Resorts World fired Sibella for "violating company policies."

On Oct. 5, federal agents raided Bowyer's home, seizing computers, cell phones, jewelry, luxury handbags, a money counting machine, cash and chips from several casinos, according to search warrant documents obtained by ESPN.

Federal agents, according to the documents, were authorized to seize records that could show evidence of Bowyer committing federal crimes, including transmission of wagering information, operation of an illegal gambling business, structuring to evade reporting requirements, and laundering the proceeds of an illegal gambling business.

Multiple sources told ESPN that Bowyer, who has worked as a commodity broker and owns a Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio, got into the bookmaking business more than 20 years ago. It became his primary source of income soon after the 2008 financial crisis, when he befriended bookmaker Owen Hanson, the former USC football player convicted of running an international drug trafficking, gambling and money laundering operation. Hanson went to federal prison on a 21-year sentence in 2017 but had his sentence reduced and was released in March.

Unlike sportsbooks, where customers have to front money, bookies allow people to bet on credit. Mizuhara, who was one of more than 600 bettors with Bowyer's book, ran up a debt of $40.7 million, according to federal authorities.

In an interview about the Mizuhara investigation, which included several text exchanges between the interpreter and Bowyer, Tyler Hatcher, the special agent in charge at IRS Criminal Investigation in Los Angeles, told ESPN that Bowyer's behavior was "typical of bookies."

"They're salesmen, right?" he said. "Their job is to ... try to get them to continue to play. That's what I saw. Just another salesman continuing to say, 'Oh, it's OK.' You know, 'we'll get it next time.'"

Hatcher would not discuss the investigation into Bowyer.

Bookmakers like Bowyer typically rely on agents, or sub-bookies, to find clients. According to a bookmaker who spoke on condition of anonymity, the agents are paid returns of anywhere from 10% to 50% of a losing bet, depending on the value of the client.

"It depends on the arrangement. I've had it where I give 10% regardless if they win or lose because I want the customer and he's going to lose in the long run," the bookmaker said.

In a state where sports betting is not legal, Bowyer is among a small group of bookmakers who compete with each other for business but also work together, running credit checks on potential customers and flagging "sharps," or professional gamblers, according to sources with firsthand knowledge of bookmaking operations.

"We cross-reference clients. We call each other," the bookmaker said. "It's a very small network of guys. There are only 10 big names in the business. Everyone else is an agent."

Sources familiar with Bowyer's operation told ESPN that Bowyer has a long history with casinos, which he uses for both business and pleasure.

Bowyer is known in Vegas as a "whale," a high-stakes gambler unafraid to lose millions on the casino floor. He has a reputation of bringing anywhere between $250,000 to $1 million each visit, which was as often as two or three times a month, the sources said.

He often brought a small group of friends who, according to the sources, coordinated bets and consolidated their balances at the end of their trip.

Casino employees are required to file suspicious activity reports for red flag behavior or when they know or suspect that money for any transaction over $5,000 is derived from illegal activity.

Resorts World did not answer ESPN's questions about whether Bowyer's activities triggered any such reports.

Failure to file these reports is a federal crime, to which Sibella pleaded guilty as part of the Nix investigation. Sibella could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for May 8 in Los Angeles.

According to multiple sources with direct knowledge, Bowyer; his wife, Nicole; and their small circle of associates began making regular trips to Resorts World after it opened in 2021. Bowyer dropped more than $800,000 in his first visit, the sources said.

In return, Bowyer and his group received high-end "comps" through his casino host, who earned money in commission based on how much they gambled. The comps included free food and beverage, golf, tickets to shows and sporting events, shopping sprees, hotel suites and promo chips.

Resorts World, where Sibella was then president, authorized Nicole Bowyer to replace Bowyer's casino host, allowing the couple to recoup some of his losses through payments to his wife, the sources told ESPN.

Even before the current federal investigation into his bookmaking activities, Bowyer had been "86'd," or banned, from Vegas casinos like MGM Grand, the Palazzo and the Venetian, according to the sources. The Palazzo and the Venetian later reinstated him.

Records from his 2011 bankruptcy filing show Bowyer declared $425,000 in gambling losses at the Cosmopolitan and Aria casinos in Las Vegas between 2010 and 2011.

In 2015, Bowyer received a $1.2 million line of credit from the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, which sued him three years later in tribal court to get the money back, according to court filings. As of last year, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation that owns the casino was still trying to recoup its funds.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...