Quote from MrPadre19 on March 22, 2024, 7:53 am

Yep.

There is no chance $4.5 mil was transferred from his account without his knowledge.Some are saying now he sent it to his interpreter and not to the bookie but apparently two of the transfers have Ohtanis' name on them.

I don't think he was the one betting...but he doesn't have to be for it to be against the rules.

If MLB plays favoritism it's going to be a very bad look.

Tatis was the "face of baseball" yet he still got the exact same punishment as anyone else....as he should...and as Ohtani should barring significant additional information exonerating him.

 

 

Quote from Jeremy Hill on March 22, 2024, 9:05 am

The only way I think the league seriously punishes him is if he is directly tied to betting on baseball. Otherwise I think at most he gets a slap on the wrist. There's been a pretty extreme difference in the league's response based on that factor in the cases I can find. Jarred Cosart and Yasiel Puig got minor or no punishment from the league. Pete Rose and more recently Peter Bayer got banned.

Quote from MrPadre19 on March 22, 2024, 9:48 am

Quote from Jeremy Hill on March 22, 2024, 9:05 am

The only way I think the league seriously punishes him is if he is directly tied to betting on baseball. Otherwise I think at most he gets a slap on the wrist. There's been a pretty extreme difference in the league's response based on that factor in the cases I can find. Jarred Cosart and Yasiel Puig got minor or no punishment from the league. Pete Rose and more recently Peter Bayer got banned.

However,Puig is in hot water with the Feds currently for lying about his involvement...with the same people as this situation by the way.

If Ohtani is lying or covering up his involvement it could still be a big issue.

Especially considering the "original" story was that Ohtani willingly sent the money to "help his friend" and now the story has changed to he had no knowledge of the transfers and it was stolen.

 

 

Quote from sportwarrior on March 22, 2024, 11:02 am

I think it's quite likely that this doesn't come down to whether Ohtani bet himself (I feel like he probably didn't), but rather whether he broke any state/federal laws by doing what he did. If that happens, I feel like it'll be hard for him to avoid some kind of league punishment.

Quote from Jeremy Hill on March 22, 2024, 11:14 am

Quote from MrPadre19 on March 22, 2024, 9:48 am

Quote from Jeremy Hill on March 22, 2024, 9:05 am

The only way I think the league seriously punishes him is if he is directly tied to betting on baseball. Otherwise I think at most he gets a slap on the wrist. There's been a pretty extreme difference in the league's response based on that factor in the cases I can find. Jarred Cosart and Yasiel Puig got minor or no punishment from the league. Pete Rose and more recently Peter Bayer got banned.

However,Puig is in hot water with the Feds currently for lying about his involvement...with the same people as this situation by the way.

If Ohtani is lying or covering up his involvement it could still be a big issue.

Especially considering the "original" story was that Ohtani willingly sent the money to "help his friend" and now the story has changed to he had no knowledge of the transfers and it was stolen.

 

 

The Feds could be a different story, but I doubt anything serious happens to Ohtani on that side of it either. I'll admit I haven't really kept up with the Puig story. From what I remember he had originally accepted a plea deal which would have just resulted in a fine and probation. He later changed his mind and I believe his case is still pending trial.

Generally speaking I think the feds want the book not the bettor. I think his involvement would have to be much bigger than what is currently being suggested and he would have to be uncooperative to really have the feds come after him.

Quote from fenn68 on March 22, 2024, 11:18 am

Between news conference #1 with the interpreter (and Ohtani handlers) saying Ohtani was just helping a friend and news conference #2 a day later where the same folks were saying Ohtani had on knowledge of the transaction and there was fraud by someone … was the arrival of a wave of better lawyers.

To me that suggests the upgraded lawyers have concern that the statement in #1 creates a scenario that places Ohtani guilty of something. At least there is now an alternative scenario for defense to avoid any penalty. Note Ohtani has personally been shielded from any interview or statement.

A sea of investigators (mainly Feds) are now deep into the detail of the transaction. To be fair that could go every which way. Feds and MLB could address this differently.

No idea on what is “illegal” and what is not in all the scenaros. Gambling is one thing … but the rest … wire transfers, dealing with bookies, etc.? Then the related punishments?

If you want to go extreme … if this becomes a significant Fed issue … Ohtani gets his work visa revoked and is deported … and, in theory, that is an easier Fed penalty to exact than anything else.

Quote from fenn68 on March 22, 2024, 11:44 am

What is “interesting” is that if the first interview was right … the interpreter could have been let off easily since the Fed case is targeting the bookie operations … usually don’t care about the betters … so, the interpreter flips on the bookie associates and in a plea deal get little penalty.

The change version sets up fraud … beyond the betting … and also rolls in more of Ohtani’s other financial advisors. Banking fraud stands on its own.

Can’t think of any financial institution that would be so lax as not to flag those wire transfers to someone in Ohtani’s camp … especially if this is a series of transfers over a year+. That will yield a lot of facts … the financial institution is not taking the fall for being lax. No idea if the financial institution is US or Japan based which cause its own complications.

Quote from MrPadre19 on March 22, 2024, 1:50 pm

Quote from Jeremy Hill on March 22, 2024, 11:14 am

Quote from MrPadre19 on March 22, 2024, 9:48 am

Quote from Jeremy Hill on March 22, 2024, 9:05 am

The only way I think the league seriously punishes him is if he is directly tied to betting on baseball. Otherwise I think at most he gets a slap on the wrist. There's been a pretty extreme difference in the league's response based on that factor in the cases I can find. Jarred Cosart and Yasiel Puig got minor or no punishment from the league. Pete Rose and more recently Peter Bayer got banned.

However,Puig is in hot water with the Feds currently for lying about his involvement...with the same people as this situation by the way.

If Ohtani is lying or covering up his involvement it could still be a big issue.

Especially considering the "original" story was that Ohtani willingly sent the money to "help his friend" and now the story has changed to he had no knowledge of the transfers and it was stolen.

 

 

The Feds could be a different story, but I doubt anything serious happens to Ohtani on that side of it either. I'll admit I haven't really kept up with the Puig story. From what I remember he had originally accepted a plea deal which would have just resulted in a fine and probation. He later changed his mind and I believe his case is still pending trial.

Generally speaking I think the feds want the book not the bettor. I think his involvement would have to be much bigger than what is currently being suggested and he would have to be uncooperative to really have the feds come after him.

Discussed on Ben & Woods this morning.

In an interview Craig Calcaterra brought up the perjury still pending on Puig involving his case betting with the same bookie.

 

 

Quote from WindsorUK on March 22, 2024, 2:04 pm

From the federal standpoint, they can get him for racketeering( RICO).

I was thinking deportation as well. This is going to get a great deal worse before it gets better. Feds don't give a shit who you are.