Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Ryan Boyajian was identified as the alleged associate who Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, wired money to in order to pay off massive gambling debts to an alleged California bookmaker, ESPN reported on Wednesday (May 8).
Mizuhara, 39, has reportedly agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in relation to gambling scandal that led to his firing, which included allegedly stealing $16 million from Ohtani. Mathew Bowyer, an illegal bookmaker currently under investigation, reportedly told Mizuhara that he could pay the gambling debts by wiring money into the account of a man previously described as 'Associate 1,' who was identified as Boyajian in the ESPN report.
Boyajian, 47, and Bowyer, 49, who have been close friends and business associates for decades, reportedly used the account for real estate projects, sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to ESPN. Boyajian's criminal attorney, Steven Katzman, confirmed that his client was working with federal authorities in a statement to ESPN.
"Because there is an active investigation and Ryan is working with the authorities, he can't confirm or deny what is going on," Katzman said. "He is not a bookmaker or a sub-bookie."
Multiple sources claimed Boyajian received immunity for his testimony in the gambling case, according to ESPN. Mizuhara, 39, who had previously served as Ohtani's interpreter since arriving in the United States in 2018, is reportedly expected "to enter his guilty plea in the coming weeks" and scheduled to appear in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California next Tuesday (May 14), however, a sentencing date hasn't yet been scheduled, ESPN's Paula Lavigne reported on Wednesday (May 8).
Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers amid accusations that he stole "money from my account and has told lies," Ohtani said while initially addressing the incident and denying his own involvement in March. Sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed to TMZ Sports that Major League Baseball was reportedly investigating Ohtani's involvement in the gambling scandal at the time of his denial.
Representatives for Ohtani, 29, are reported to have contacted law enforcement authorities and asked them to investigate a "massive theft" of money from the two-way baseball player, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told ESPN on March 21. Mizuhara, a longtime friend of Ohtani, reportedly sent $4.5 million from Ohtani's bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation currently under federal investigation.
The interpreter's firing came after reporters asked questions about the wire transfers. A spokesperson for Ohtani claimed the baseball player transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara's gambling debt and presented the interpreter, who went into detail about his actions to ESPN during a 90-minute interview on March 19.
The spokesman would later disavow Mizuhara's account of the incident and said Ohtani's lawyers would prepare a statement when ESPN published its story on March 20.
"In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities," a statement obtained by ESPN from Berk Brettler LLP reads.
Ohtani, who spent his first six MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, announced his decision to sign with the Dodgers in a post shared on his Instagram account on December 9. The Japanese native is arguably the biggest star in baseball as one of the leagues best starting pitchers and hitters.
Ohtani led his country to a World Baseball Classic last March, days before his second AL MVP season in which he hit for a .304 average with a league-best 44 home runs and 95 RBIs and recorded a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 23 starts and 132.0 innings pitched in 2023. The Japanese star signed a record-setting $700 million deal to join the Dodgers this offseason -- having previously spent his entire MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels -- which included the team deferring $68 million of the $70 million annual salary in an effort to have more spending room.
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