Shohei Ohtani’s reps decline to say which authorities contacted to report theft

Representatives for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani again declined Tuesday to answer questions from ESPN about which authorities they contacted to report their theft allegation against Ohtani's former interpreter.

ESPN has repeatedly requested this information since Ohtani's lawyers first released a statement last week alleging that “Shohei was the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to authorities.

When asked Tuesday for proof that Ohtani or his representatives reported the theft to an investigative agency, an Ohtani spokesperson declined to comment.

ESPN has received no confirmation from local, state or federal agencies that may be investigating the theft allegations that they had received a report from Ohtani's camp.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday that it was working with the IRS to investigate Ohtani's ex-performer, Ippei Mizuhara, but did not say whether it was investigating the theft allegations. 'Ohtani or if he had been contacted by Ohtani's representatives.

“Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles and the IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles field office are conducting a joint federal investigation into this matter,” a spokesperson told ESPN in a statement, noting that he was referring to “the global investigation including Mizuhara's role”. He wrote that the agency could not comment further on the ongoing investigation.

ESPN previously confirmed with IRS spokesman Scott Villiard that the agency was investigating Mizuhara and bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, but Villiard declined to say whether the IRS had been contacted by Ohtani's representatives.

The Department of Homeland Security, the IRS and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California have been investigating Bowyer since at least October, according to multiple sources and documents reviewed by ESPN. The same agencies are also involved in a sprawling federal money laundering and illegal gambling case that has attracted former minor league baseball player and bookmaker Wayne Nix and former MLB All-Star Yasiel Puig.

It's unclear whether the agencies' investigation into Mizuhara is part of a larger investigation, or how Ohtani's theft allegation fits into it, if at all.