Gaming Attorney Claims Shohei Ohtani May Be Guilty of Violating Criminal Federal Law

• Rose says every lawyer should carry with them a parrot that says two words: "Don't Talk!".

• Baseball superstar's former translator accused of "massive theft" to pay off gambling debt.

• If two or more people agree to violate California gambling laws, it is considered a felony.

Long time friend of the Gambling911 website and respected gaming attorney I. Nelson Rose has offered his perspective on the recent gambling scandal involving MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, who is accused of stealing $45 million to pay off a gambling debt.

Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara's bookie, Mathew Bowyer, is said to have been under federal investigation and the IRS has now confirmed they are looking into this matter.

Ohtani on Monday afternoon reiterated he had no involvement in placing bets on Major League Baseball.

Bowyer's attorney, Diane Bass, acknowledged that Bowyer was a bookie. She insisted it was the interpreter, not Ohtani, who placed the bets, even with the ballplayer’s name appearing on the bank records.

“He never spoke with him, never met with him, never texted with him,” Bass said of Ohtani. “The only person he ever met with, spoke with, or texted with was Ippei.”

Attorney Rose says that "every lawyer should carry a parrot trained to say two words".

And what are those two words? 

"Don't talk!"

"If you have been involved with illegal gambling, you don’t talk to anybody.  Not your spouse.  Not a guy in a bar.  And you certainly don’t give an on-the-record interview with ESPN.

"This is especially true for illegal sports betting; the one form of gambling which is clearly covered by federal law."

"I am getting inquiries from the largest news outlets in the world, especially in the U.S. and Japan.  And no one cares whether the bets were made on baseball.  Reporters want to know if Ohtani might be guilty of violating any criminal laws.

"The answer is, 'Yes,' depending on the facts."

"Why would Ohtani let Mizuhara have such access to his personal bank accounts?

"It is certainly possible that Ohtani is merely a victim here, and victims do not normally face criminal prosecutions.

"But the world is much darker for Mizuhara, who, at the very least, was making sports bets in violation of California state law.  And Ohtani himself could face just about the worst penalties the law applies if he knew about and participated in the bets and the money transfers."

Rose goes on to explain that athletes commonly get around league gambling prohibitions by having their friends or family members place bets on their behalf. 

"Because regulators often closely watch the money placed with legal sports books, much of this action goes to illegal bookies," Rose says.

To be clear, the vast majority of Gambling911.com readers from California who place bets with an illegal bookie or even an offshore sportsbook will never need to worry about being prosecuted.  But things get much worse when more than one person is involved, Rose explains.

"If two people agree to violate the law, even a misdemeanor, it is a felony."

- Chris Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher