Baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani is demanding that his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, return baseball cards valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, which he claims were purchased fraudulently with his funds.
Ohtani, a prominent player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, has filed court documents stating that Mizuhara, who has already pleaded guilty to charges of bank and tax fraud for embezzling nearly $17 million from Ohtani, holds collectible baseball cards featuring Ohtani that were acquired by Mizuhara in an “unauthorized and wrongful” manner.
According to the legal documents submitted on Tuesday, Mizuhara gained unauthorized access to Ohtani’s bank account starting in November 2021. He altered the security settings so that he could impersonate Ohtani and authorize wire transfers. By 2024, Mizuhara had spent approximately $325,000 of Ohtani’s money on baseball cards purchased from online platforms such as eBay and Whatnot.
Mizuhara’s legal representative, Michael G. Freedman, has not issued any comments regarding the recent legal filing.
In June, Mizuhara admitted to utilizing millions from Ohtani’s Arizona bank account to support his escalating gambling habits and debts linked to illegal bookmaking, alongside covering his own medical expenses and buying the baseball cards.
A sentencing is scheduled for Mizuhara in January after he confessed to one count of bank fraud and another of filing a false tax return. These offenses could result in a combined prison sentence exceeding 30 years. Furthermore, Mizuhara could also be liable for restitution exceeding $17 million to Ohtani and over $1 million to the IRS. Given his status as a legal permanent resident with a green card, he faces the possibility of deportation back to Japan.
Mizuhara has been a pivotal figure throughout many milestones in Ohtani’s career, including serving as his catcher during the 2021 MLB All-Star Game’s Home Run Derby, as well as celebrating Ohtani’s two American League MVP titles and his record-breaking $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers for ten years.
Beyond their professional relationship, Mizuhara was also viewed as a close friend and confidant to Ohtani. He notably resigned from the Los Angeles Angels amid the 2021 MLB lockout to maintain communication with Ohtani and was eventually rehired once an agreement was reached. Reports also suggest that the two families spent time together socially.
However, Mizuhara ultimately lost everything through extensive gambling, wagering tens of millions of dollars that were not his on various sports, including international soccer, the NBA, the NFL, and college football, although prosecutors noted that he never placed bets on baseball.
This year, Ohtani and the Dodgers celebrated a World Series victory, while the star athlete himself received his third MVP award.