REAL Housewives of Orange County fans have been completely stunned after cast member Ryan Boyajian was named as a participant in Shohei Ohtani's translator financial scandal.
Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has been accused of stealing $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to feed his gambling addiction.
Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Ryan Boyajian has been named as a participant in Shohei Ohtani's translator financial scandal
Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Ryan Boyajian has been named as a participant in Shohei Ohtani's translator financial scandalCredit: Getty
Shohei Ohtani has branded his fired interpreter a liar while insisting that he had no part in the illegal gambling
Shohei Ohtani has branded his fired interpreter a liar while insisting that he had no part in the illegal gamblingCredit: Getty
Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was accused of stealing $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar
Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was accused of stealing $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstarCredit: Reuters
Boyajian, 47, has been named as the bookmaker's associate to whom Mizuhara wired money to pay his gambling debts, as reported by ESPN.
In the criminal complaint filed against Mizuhara, Mathew Bowyer, the illegal bookmaker under investigation, informed the interpreter that he could pay his gambling debts by wiring money into the account of Bowyer's associate, known in the complaint as "Associate 1."
According to ESPN's sources, the associate mentioned in the complaint is none other than RHOC star Boyajian.
The TV personality is engaged to Real Housewives star Jennifer Pedranti, 46,
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Boyajian used the account with Bowyer to fund their real estate projects.
He and Bowyer, 49, have been close friends and business associates for nearly 20 years.
Court records revealed that Boyajian loaned Bowyer $245,000 when he declared bankruptcy in 2011.
Steven Katzman, Boyajian's criminal attorney, has revealed that Boyajian is working with federal authorities.
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He told ESPN, "Because there is an active investigation and Ryan is working with the authorities, he can't confirm or deny what is going on.
"He is not a bookmaker or a sub-bookie, Katzmann added.
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Multiple sources have claimed that Boyajian received immunity for his testimony.
Real Housewives fans rushed to social media to address the revelation of Boyajian's involvement in the scandal.
FANS SHOCKED
On a Bravo fan Instagram account, Boyajian's RHOC castmate Tamra Judge commented, "I warned ya!!!"
A fan replied, "Wowwww!!!! I know you can't reveal anything about the upcoming season but I'm dying to know if this will be exposed!
"This is nuts. As a Dodgers fan, I've been following this story since it came out. It's sickening that these people took advantage of Shohei."
"Something about him made my stomach drop. I agreed with you from the jump when you spoke about him," commented another.
A third commenter wrote, "All roads lead to Bravo! It's wild."
"As soon as I saw his acid wash jeans I knew he was no good," added a fourth.
While another viewer commented, "Never in my wildest dreams did I think my dodgers would be connected to my bravo world. But alas, here we are. All roads…"
OHTANI SPEAKS OUT
In March, Shohei Ohtani branded his fired interpreter a liar while insisting that he had no part in the illegal gambling Mizuhara was involved in.
Mizuhara was sacked after Ohtani's representatives found that the MLB two-way star was the "victim of a massive theft."
The gambling scandal, first reported by ESPN and The Los Angeles Times, alleged that Mizuhara was involved with wire transfers from Ohtani's accounts which ran up to at least $4.5 million.
Mizuhara admitted to taking part in gambling.
MLB bars players and employees from betting on baseball.
Boyajian has been named as the bookmaker's associate to whom Mizuhara wired money to pay back his gambling debts
Boyajian has been named as the bookmaker's associate to whom Mizuhara wired money to pay back his gambling debtsCredit: Getty
They're also prohibited from wagering on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers.
On Monday, March 25, Ohtani participated in a Dodgers press conference in which he stated that he has, "never bet on sports or asked someone to do that on my behalf."
He was accompanied by his new interpreter, Will Ireton - a Dodgers employee, who revealed that the MLB star said in Japanese, "I'm very saddened and shocked who I trusted has done this."
The 28-year-old confirmed, "[Mizuhara] has been stealing from my account and has told lies."
"Up until a couple days ago, I didn’t know this was happening," Ohtani said in Japanese.
"To summarize how I am feeling right now, I am beyond shocked," he stated before adding, "It’s really hard to verbalize how I am feeling at this point."
COMPLETE LIES
Ohtani revealed he found out about Mizuhara's illegal gambling at a team meeting after the team's first game in South Korea.
Mizuhara had admitted to using money from the MLB star's account to gamble on sports.
The baseball standout also denied accusations from Mizuhura, who told ESPN that Ohtani paid his debts off at the interpreter's request.
To summarize how I am feeling right now, I am beyond shocked."
Shohei Ohtani
ESPN said Mizuhara changed his story the next day, stating that Ohtani didn't have knowledge of the gambling debts and didn't transfer any money to bookmakers.
Ohtani reiterated several times on Monday that he has never bet on sports and didn't knowingly pay off Mizuhara's gambling debts.
"All of this has been a complete lie," Ohtani asserted.
“Ippei obviously basically didn’t tell me about the media inquiry.
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"So Ippei has been telling everyone around that he has been communicating with me on this account to the media and my team, and that hasn’t been true."
Federal authorities have launched a criminal investigation into Mizuhara and the alleged illegal bookmaker while the MLB conducts its own internal investigation.
Ohtani participated in a press conference in which he stated that he has, 'never bet on sports or asked someone to do that on my behalf'
Ohtani participated in a press conference in which he stated that he has, 'never bet on sports or asked someone to do that on my behalf'Credit: Reuters
Ohtani stated that Mizuhara stole from his account and has told 'lies'
Ohtani stated that Mizuhara stole from his account and has told 'lies'Credit: Getty
Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani paid his debts off at the interpreter's request but later revealed he had lied about the MLB player's involvement
Mizuhara told ESPN that Ohtani paid his debts off at the interpreter's request but later revealed he had lied about the MLB player's involvementCredit: Getty
