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MLB launches investigation into gambling allegations surrounding Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter
Days after lawyers accused Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara of “massive theft” to pay off gambling debts, Major League Baseball has announced that they are launching their own formal investigation into allegations surrounding the Dodgers star player.
“Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhari from the news media. Earlier today, our Department of Investigations (DOI) began their formal process investigating the matter,” said the statement from MLB.
The exact circumstances surrounding the course of their investigation remain unclear, though ESPN reports that they will likely request interviews from all of the people involved in the allegations.
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The United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles is also investigating the allegations They have declined to comment on the matter.
Mizuhara, who was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday, was accused of stealing millions of dollars from Ohtani to pay an illegal bookmaker named Matthew Bowyer, who is currently being investigated by federal prosecutors. The news was first reported by The Los Angeles Times.
ESPN’s Tisha Thompson, who interviewed Mizuhara before the news broke, reported that at least $4.5 million was transferred from Ohtani’s personal bank account to the bookmaking operation.
“Initially, a spokesman for Ohtani told ESPN the slugger had transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara’s gambling debt. The spokesman presented Mizuhara to ESPN for a 90-minute interview Tuesday night, during which Mizuhara laid out his account in great detail,” Thompson wrote. “However, as ESPN prepared to publish the story Wednesday, the spokesman disavowed Mizuhara’s account and said Ohtani’s lawyers would issue a statement.”
Ohtani has not yet commented on the situation, and was unavailable for interview following the Dodgers most recent game in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday, a 15-11 loss to the San Diego Padres.
Mizuhara has worked as Ohtani’s interpreter since 2017, when he was posted by the Nippon Professional Baseball League’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to sign with an MLB team. His relationship with the two-way star has been well documented during Ohtani’s tenure with the Angels, with whom he played for six seasons before signing a 10-year, $700 million mega-deal with the Dodgers.
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A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.
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