Audio shows interpreter impersonated Ohtani for $200k

A newly released audio recording reveals former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara impersonating Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani to authorize a $200,000 bank transfer to an illegal bookmaker, a key piece of evidence in the multi-million dollar fraud case. The recording is featured in "The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani," a six-episode podcast series from ESPN's "30 for 30" that began releasing episodes on July 28, 2026.

In the call from February 2022, a Bank of America employee asks who is speaking, to which Mizuhara replies, "Shohei Ohtani." He then states he is calling because online banking was unavailable and proceeds to authorize the transaction. When asked for the payee's name and amount, Mizuhara says, "It's for $200,000," and claims the payment is for a "car loan" to a friend. The payment was directed to the account of Mathew Bowyer, a Southern California bookmaker.

This recording was part of a broader scheme in which Mizuhara, who had worked as Ohtani's interpreter since 2018, stole more than $16 million from the baseball star's accounts to fund his own extensive sports betting. According to the podcast, Mizuhara initially told an ESPN reporter in March 2024 that Ohtani had...