Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, allegedly stole $16 million from the famed athlete and wired the money to a reality television star.
“Ryan Boyajian, a current cast member of Bravo’s reality TV series The Real Housewives of Orange County, is the bookmaker’s associate to whom Ippei Mizuhara wired money to pay his gambling debts,” ESPN reported that sources close to the investigation said.
Jennifer Pedranti and Ryan Boyajian attend Amazon Freevee’s “Hollywood Houselift With Jeff Lewis” Season Two Premiere at Sunset Tower Hotel on December 06, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for Amazon Freevee)
“Mizuhara is accused of stealing $16 million from Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani to feed what Mizuhara described to ESPN as a gambling addiction. His arraignment has been rescheduled to May 14,” it added.
Shohei Ohtani (C) of the Los Angeles Dodgers talks with his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara (L) and agent Nez Balelo (R) before the game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on December 21, 2023, in Inglewood, California. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Mathew Bowyer, the illegal bookmaker under investigation, allegedly told Mizuhara that he could help pay off his gambling debts by wiring money to one of his associates, who just so happened to be Boyajian. He had been using the account with Bowyer for real estate projects, and they have been business associates for 20 years. Boyajian’s criminal attorney, Steven Katzman, said the reality show star has been cooperating with federal authorities, with sources saying he will receive immunity in return for his testimony.
“Because there is an active investigation and Ryan is working with the authorities, he can’t confirm or deny what is going on,” Katzman told ESPN. “He is not a bookmaker or a sub-bookie.”
Japanese baseball player Shohei Ohtani (C) poses with his agent Nez Balelo (L) and Japanese interpreter Ippei Mizuhara during a press conference on his presentation after signing a ten-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles, California on December 14, 2023. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
Several sources confirmed that Boyajian and Bowyer often gambled together in resorts and casinos in Las Vegas. They were such frequent customers that they even received high-end “comps,” including free food, cocktails, golf, show tickets, suites, and sporting events.
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