One of the wildest and biggest gambling scandals of the last few years could soon play out in a drama-based television show.
Key Takeaways
- Lionsgate TV is developing the show for Starz.
- The drama will look at the relationship between Ippei Mizuhara and Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.
- The interpreter is serving a 57-month prison sentence for bank and tax fraud.
TV network Starz is developing a project based on Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, who stole nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to pay off an illegal bookmaker.
The Athletic reported Tuesday that production company Lionsgate TV will produce a drama focused on the relationship between Mizuhara and Ohtani and how the scandal developed. The two men have known each other since Ohtani was an 18-year-old rookie with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan.
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google accountMichael Jordan and Nike movie “Air” screenwriter Alex Convery will be the writer and showrunner for the Mizuhara production. The director is Justin Lin, who directed the movie “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” Albert Chen, a sportswriter, is tabbed as a co-producer.
Committing fraud
Mizuhara, who became a close friend of Ohtani, is almost nine months into a 57-month prison sentence after pleading guilty last year to federal bank and tax fraud charges. Ohtani’s former interpreter is also required to pay back millions of dollars he took after he fell deep into gambling debts.
Mizuhara racked up a net loss of nearly $41 million betting on sports, primarily through illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who is also serving a sentence for running his gambling operation.
Mizuhara had access to Ohtani’s bank account, and the interpreter told the bank that he was Ohtani to make sure the wire transfers of $500,000 every two weeks to Bowyer went through.
Big figures
The scandal came to the surface in March 2024, right at the start of the MLB season. Ohtani was not implicated in the betting scheme.
The U.S. Department of Justice claims Mizuhara wagered nearly $183 million and placed 19,000 bets with Bowyer with an average of $320,000 per day. Prosecutors said Mizuhara changed the phone number associated with Ohtani’s bank account to his, set up an email account linked to the bank account, and falsely claimed to be Ohtani.
Federal authorities went through thousands of texts between Mizuhara and Ohtani, as well as Mizuhara and Bowyer, during the investigation.
Mizuhara claimed he had a gambling addiction, which prosecutors refuted.
