Here's the article: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...er-fired-theft
Did we just find out Shohei's leak?
Maybe he'll be in a booth next to Charlie Hustle soon.
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Here's the article: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...er-fired-theft
Did we just find out Shohei's leak?
Maybe he'll be in a booth next to Charlie Hustle soon.
Isn’t this the most 2024 story ever?Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
The bookie, who accepted the bets, is Matthew Bowyer.
He was under investigation by the feds in 2023 for his bookmaking operation:
https://twitter.com/DanaGentryLV/sta...28862433608136
There are some rumors that the "confidential source" was the controversial Robinhood702, aka RJ Cipriani, a known snitch. I'll get to that in a little bit.
The assistant, Ippei Mizuhara, was a longtime friend and assistant/interpreter for Ohtani. What is certain is that Ohtani's account paid the $4.5m debt for Mizuhara directly to Bowyer. Ohtani's spokesman claimed that he paid it off in order to help Mizuhara, but then retracted that statement and said it was actually Mizuhara stealing from him.
Mizuhara claimed that he did not bet on baseball, but this has not been verified.
It is unclear if Mizuhara was betting on his own, or if he was a beard for Shohei Ohtani's degeneracy, as gut suggested was possible.
It does seem that Ohtani's story about Mizuhara committing "theft" is likely bullshit, and that at the very least, he decided he didn't want to take public credit for knowingly sending money to an illegal bookmaker.
Now, about this Bowyer guy... He is a 48-year-old failed actor. with some bit parts between 1997 and 2003: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0101480/
He was part of the ring involving Wayne Nix, who is a former MLB player convicted of illegal bookmaking: https://www.reviewjournal.com/busine...-exec-2989245/
This has a Las Vegas connection in that shady former MGM Grand (and later Resorts World CEO) Scott Sibella was prosecuted for knowingly letting Nix gamble at MGM Grand, despite knowing his illicit source of funds. He got fired from Resorts World once these federal charges were filed.
Nix was also the bookie used by former MLB player Yasiel Puig, who then was charged with making false statements when he lied to federal authorities, denying the gambling occurred. Had Puig simply admitted to the gambling, he would not have been charged.
And what is RJ Cipriani's (Robinhood702) connection here? Maybe nothing, but he is a known Vegas snitch who had a longtime feud with Scott Sibella, leading to what appeared to be a very frivolous arrest and very questionable charges being filed against him, for what was an extremely minor incident at Resorts World. There is some belief that Cipriani was the "source" who communicated with above LV journalist Dana Gentry, as she has covered Cipriani's gripes in the past, and might have a close working relationship with him.
https://twitter.com/Slim_Pickem/stat...87813337260510
Quote:
A rough timeline:
- Ohtani rep goes on record W/ESPN stating Ohtani transferred $4.5MM himself to bookmaker on behalf of Ippei.
- Spokesperson for Ohtani delivers Ippei to ESPN for statement. Ippei says Ohtani NEVER bet & felt bad for him & paid off his debt so he’d never do it again.
-Spokesperson for Ohtani says Ippei is lying after he gives his 90 minute statement to ESPN.
-Ohtani’s lawyers claim “massive theft”.
-Ippei then says Ohtani had zero knowledge of his debt or his gambling habit in general.
At this point I think one of two things have to be true.
Either...
Ohtani had such a close friendship with Mizuhara that he decided to bail him out of the gambling mess, presumably with Mizuhara working off his debt in the coming years. (Note that Mizuhara is said to make $300k-$500k per year working for Ohtani.)
-OR-
Mizuhara was Ohtani's gambling beard.
This was not a theft. Almost zero chance.
Agreed not a theft.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
First option there is obv most likely.
Be funny if option 3: Ohtani wife has the gambling issue, interpreter soppokku'd himself.
Asians love gambling
Genuinely surprised to see this though, close to shocked
I hope this doesn’t impact his career, it shouldn’t
Interpreter got a 4500000% reload bonusQuote:
Originally Posted by SanlmarIsn’t this the most 2024 story ever?Quote:
Originally Posted by gut
Ippei’s and Ohtani’s (via attorneys) stories getting walked back when Ohtani’s possible exposure/complicity became a concern.
Personally, i think this is a ruse to distract us from Dave Roberts saying Ohtani wants to play the outfield and the Dodgers are unwrapping fresh weighted balls.
Why would the Dodgers risk Ohtani’s arm? For what gain? So Will Smith can DH?
This immigrant crime wave just keeps getting worse.
I wonder just how naive Ippei might have been. I have no sense of the guy at all.
He blew up a sweet sweet ride. Be working a Cinnabon in Tokyo soon.
He’s pretty much polarized to either the best friend in the world or the worst given how it’s played out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
If he’s the worst, yeah it’s over. Probably seppuku or off a high rise.
If he’s the best, he’s going to get a huge raise for the next 30 years.
This was my first thought. Ohtani is so pure, like I legit just think he is innocent of almost anything. PEDs, drugs, some freaky shit, you’d just say no way. Pretty much any vice you’d say no chance.Quote:
Originally Posted by NickyPipes
But all of us have sat many times next to some wealthy and normally reserved Asian at 4AM while they chainsmoked and pounded the BJ table yelling monkey monkey.
It’s probably the assistant who got caught up, but it’s not the no fucking way with Ohtani that you’d give him with almost any other vice. I think everyone cheats, but if it was PEDs, I’d say no fucking way. Not that dude. But gambling?
Just optics, it’s almost the worst scandal he could find himself associated with.
https://twitter.com/calicojoemlb/sta...07736499442159
This was from less than 24 hours ago.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Much like the steroid era, when it was happening, I'm guessing this is gonna get swept under the rug pretty quickly. MLB can't lose Shohei right now.
I made the Pete Rose comparison earlier, but really that might become a common talking point 30 years from now about HOF appointments, like the steroid era. "He has the stats, but he bet on baseball".
Pete will get put in the HOF 20 years after he dies.
:thisQuote:
Originally Posted by gutQuote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Much like the steroid era, when it was happening, I'm guessing this is gonna get swept under the rug pretty quickly. MLB can't lose Shohei right now.
I made the Pete Rose comparison earlier, but really that might become a common talking point 30 years from now about HOF appointments, like the steroid era. "He has the stats, but he bet on baseball".
Pete will get put in the HOF 20 years after he dies.
Big nothing to see here coming.
Very confident it was Ohtani betting. And very confident he was betting on MLB. How can any degenerate gambler resist MLB? 15 games a day for 6 months straight. It's impossible to resist.
This is on CBS Mornings today
Watching it now and they're saying no evidence Ohtani is involved
Ohtani should announce he’s retiring to play basketball.
Then come back in 2 years.
In case there was any question about the Ohtani situation, i was speaking to someone very connected to the So Cal sports betting scene, and he confirmed Ohtani is a big soccer betting whale, and it’s a very open secret. And as far as he knows there was no baseball bets. And the interpreter is falling on the sword for him.
We will monitor this. The more i think about this story the more questions i have.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalam
I heard Ippei played poker in SoCal and that is how he met the bookie. Druff prolly played with these guys - or wishes he did.
There is no way these two life-long best buddies, Ippei & Shohei, didn’t have shared interests.
As desperately as MLB will want to bury this …. I dunno. Of course, anywhere but California this is a non story.
Unless degen Ippei bet Angels or Dodgers. Here’s a guy who at one time was behind $4.5m and he isn’t gonna be at least a little bit apt to use an advantage to relieve the pressure.
I was starting to lean towards Ippei being the beard before that Kalam post.Quote:
Originally Posted by SanlmarWe will monitor this. The more i think about this story the more questions i have.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalam
I heard Ippei played poker in SoCal and that is how he met the bookie. Druff prolly played with these guys - or wishes he did.
There is no way these two life-long best buddies, Ippei & Shohei, didn’t have shared interests.
As desperately as MLB will want to bury this …. I dunno. Of course, anywhere but California this is a non story.
Unless degen Ippei bet Angels or Dodgers. Here’s a guy who at one time was behind $4.5m and he isn’t gonna be at least a little bit apt to use an advantage to relieve the pressure.
Maybe me being naive about the big-dollar bookie scene, but now would Ippei get such a high credit line without Shohei, at the very least, backing him?
Trying to imagine the furious proposals and deal making occurring between the bookie, FBI, MLB, Dodgers, Ippei & the Ohtani camp
They gotta give the bookie a reason not to sing later.
Talk about high stakes
Lol, Ohtani plays soccer for a year
The more I think about this, the more it really does look like a bearding situation.
If Shohei is a soccer degen like Kalam says, and he lives in CA with no legal betting options, using Ippei makes sense. It’s only surprising they didn’t have a coherent excuse prepared in case this got out. Maybe he figured if he didn’t bet baseball, his penalties would be minimal at worst.
:thisQuote:
Originally Posted by gutI was starting to lean towards Ippei being the beard before that Kalam post.Quote:
Originally Posted by Sanlmar
Maybe me being naive about the big-dollar bookie scene, but now would Ippei get such a high credit line without Shohei, at the very least, backing him?
Andrew Friedman struttin’ his stuff like he’s #1 two weeks ago but he’s a ghost now. Friedman is letting Dave Roberts take the blows publicly. This story is beyond Deputy Dave’s pay grade. This isn’t on the field bizness
Some shameless shit by Andrew.
The billion dollar investment between Yamamoto and Ohtani is on fire and crickets
This has an aroma reminiscent of Puig from a Dodger PR standpoint. Not the human trafficking but Puig’s gambling.
Dodgers consistently deliver top shelf scandals.
Even if it was legal, would non baseball sports betting be permitted under his MLB contract? I assume no, but have no clue. Also, I dont think he payed through Ippei. The money was being payed directly out of his accounts. That is why they had to make up the whole "Ippei stole the money" angle, which still makes no sense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Also, I think you might not appreciate how 'in the open' all of this is, and 99.9% of the time no one cares and no authorities ever get involved. Pretty similar to the prostitution in Asian massage parlors. Most bookies generally accept and pay out through Zelle or Venmo, which the FBI could easily track if they cared, but they generally dont.
Looks like probably because he was booking action with Ohtani, who obviously is betting WAY BIGGER than guys like me and Druff, and so much money was flowing into the accounts, the FBI took notice. The bookie may have also been involved in some other shady stuff, and discovering he was receiving money from Ohtani and it getting leaked to the media during the investigation was just bad luck on Ohtani's part.
Ohtani now can’t speak to the press because he doesn’t have an interpreter.
Lol
Amazing he wired that type of money from his personal account
Big mistake
LOL at California not allowing online sports betting. Here is a state that wants to force failed EV vehicles on everyone, but won't allow a grown adult to place a bet on a game like 40+ other states.
There is the whole Indian tribe thing but more importantly Vegas is now a LA suburb like never before so legalization ain’t never gonna happen if i understand money and politics correctly.Quote:
Originally Posted by tgull
But yes, Ohtani’s gambling might never surface if he wasn’t in Cali.
He cannot lie to the Feds. Thats serious stuff even the MLB can’t manage. Better to zip it.Quote:
Originally Posted by simpdog
But yeah, lol
It's always surprising when the user rich have such dumb schemes happen. He could have covered his tracks in any number of ways.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Like when Peyton Manning's wife was getting prescribed HGH or a baseball player got caught with steroids in a stupid way.
MLB allows non-baseball sportsbetting, but only via licensed and regulated books.Quote:
Originally Posted by KalamEven if it was legal, would non baseball sports betting be permitted under his MLB contract? I assume no, but have no clue. Also, I dont think he payed through Ippei. The money was being payed directly out of his accounts. That is why they had to make up the whole "Ippei stole the money" angle, which still makes no sense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
Also, I think you might not appreciate how 'in the open' all of this is, and 99.9% of the time no one cares and no authorities ever get involved. Pretty similar to the prostitution in Asian massage parlors. Most bookies generally accept and pay out through Zelle or Venmo, which the FBI could easily track if they cared, but they generally dont.
Looks like probably because he was booking action with Ohtani, who obviously is betting WAY BIGGER than guys like me and Druff, and so much money was flowing into the accounts, the FBI took notice. The bookie may have also been involved in some other shady stuff, and discovering he was receiving money from Ohtani and it getting leaked to the media during the investigation was just bad luck on Ohtani's part.
As you know, there is no way to legally sportsbet in California.
This left Ohtani needing a beard to do his betting if he so desired, as he spends most of his time in California.
I liked the people asking, "Why didn't he just go to Vegas to do it?"
Yeah, as if he'll just hop on a plane from LA to Vegas every time he wants to place a sportsbet during the MLB season. They don't understand how regular gamblers operate. Betting a few times a year while in Vegas isn't gonna cut it.
The bookie was already in the process of being busted, and they were going over the evidence. It was found that Ohtani send those big wires, and it blew up from there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SanlmarHe cannot lie to the Feds. Thats serious stuff even the MLB can’t manage. Better to zip it.Quote:
Originally Posted by simpdog
But yeah, lol
Puig is in trouble for lying to the feds about a bookie. Not just any bookie, but Wayne Nix, who is associated with the guy who just got busted in relation to Ohtani.
And Wayne Nix is the same bookie who blew a bunch of $$ at MGM Grand when then-CEO Scott Sibella was there, and knowingly let it happen, despite knowing the dude was an illegal bookie. And then Sibella got charged and fired from his new job at Resorts World.
All connects here.
But yeah if you are being questioned by the feds about something where you won't get charged yourself, the dumbest thing you can do is lie. The feds often have all the goods before they question you.
Excellent thoughtsQuote:
Originally Posted by Dan DruffMLB allows non-baseball sportsbetting, but only via licensed and regulated books.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalam
As you know, there is no way to legally sportsbet in California.
This left Ohtani needing a beard to do his betting if he so desired, as he spends most of his time in California.
I liked the people asking, "Why didn't he just go to Vegas to do it?"
Yeah, as if he'll just hop on a plane from LA to Vegas every time he wants to place a sportsbet during the MLB season. They don't understand how regular gamblers operate. Betting a few times a year while in Vegas isn't gonna cut it.
The bookie was already in the process of being busted, and they were going over the evidence. It was found that Ohtani send those big wires, and it blew up from there.
A person like Shoehei, Kalam or myself bets for entertainment. It’s a regular diversion.
If you travel a great deal regulated sports books are of next to no use to you. If you signed up in Nevada you can’t use that account in Massachussets or any other state.
Illegal or off shore books suit you much better.
There's one other possibility which hasn't really been discussed.
Ippei might have lied to the bookie about whose bets these were.
Picture Ippei having a gambling problem, going to a bookie he met through sports circles, and claiming he's placing secret bets for Ohtani. Knowing the dude is Ohtani's close friend and interpreter, the bookie would figure the guy has to be telling the truth. It's not like some random approaching and saying, "Give me a huge credit line because I am doing it for Shohei Ohtani."
So then Ippei chunks off $4.5m and the bookie wants his money. At this point Ippei has to go to Ohtani, but instead of admitting he lied to the bookie that these were Ohtani's bets, he just says that he got in over his head and racked up a gigantic gambling debt. Ohtain is annoyed, but since he can easily afford the $4.5m and likes Ippei so much, he pays it off and lets Ippei reimburse him later -- much like how I've bailed out Master Scalir from stupid shit he's done in the past.
Then Ohtani gets over his annoyance and maintains his friendship with Ippei, only to find out a few days ago that Ippei lied to the bookie to get the credit in the first place, claiming it was a bearding situation. This infuriates Ohtani, who then changes the story to this being a "massive theft", to where he's no longer feeling bad about throwing Ippei under the bus.
I mean if you want to entertain this for your own amusement that is fine. But if you ask anyone in Orange County connected to the illegal sports betting scene they will tell you the simplest explanation is the correct one; and that is Ohtani is just a soccer sports betting whale, which came to light because of a FBI investigation into his bookie that got leaked to the press, and now everyone is in spin control.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
That is very possible.Quote:
Originally Posted by KalamI mean if you want to entertain this for your own amusement that is fine. But if you ask anyone in Orange County connected to the illegal sports betting scene they will tell you the simplest explanation is the correct one; and that is Ohtani is just a soccer sports betting whale, which came to light because of a FBI investigation into his bookie that got leaked to the press, and now everyone is in spin control.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Druff
I will ask you about your source's statement, though:
Have the confirmed that Ohtani himself was betting on these games, or just that someone bearding for him SAID it was for Ohtani. Because you can see how the latter can lead to misunderstandings, if the supposed beard is really just a degen himself.
I still think it is more likely this was done on Ohtani's behalf, but I do think my scenario is a possibility. It does not seem that Ohtani ever had direct contact with the bookie, except perhaps to pay off the debt.