Shohei Ohtani, Baseball Prodigy, Asks Former Interpreter for $325,000 Worth of Baseball Cards
Baseball star Shohei Ohtani is seeking the return of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards that he claims were fraudulently purchased using his money by his former interpreter.
The Los Angeles Dodgers player is also asking Ippei Mizuhara, who previously admitted to bank and tax fraud for stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani, to return signed collectible baseball cards featuring Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s possession without authorization, as stated in court documents filed on Tuesday.
The legal documents allege that Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account around November 2021, altered his security protocols to enable him to impersonate Ohtani for authorizing wire transfers. By 2024, Mizuhara had used the money to purchase approximately $325,000 worth of baseball cards from online resellers eBay and Whatnot, according to the court filings.
Mizuhara’s lawyer, Michael G. Freedman, declined to comment on the filing.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to using multi-millions from Ohtani’s Arizona bank account to cover his gambling debts, as well as his medical bills and the $325,000 worth of baseball cards.
Mizuhara is set to be sentenced in January after pleading guilty to bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return, offenses that carry a potential sentence of over 30 years in federal prison. He may also be required to repay Ohtani nearly $17 million and over $1 million to the IRS. Additionally, as a lawful permanent resident holding a green card, he could face deportation to Japan.
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Mizuhara was by Ohtani’s side for many of his career milestones, from being his catcher in the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game to witnessing his American League MVP victories and his groundbreaking $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Off the field, Mizuhara became Ohtani’s close friend and confidant. He famously resigned from the Los Angeles Angels during the 2021 MLB lockout to continue communicating with Ohtani and their wives reportedly socialized.
However, Mizuhara squandered everything by gambling tens of millions of dollars that were not his to bet on various sports, excluding baseball.
Earlier this year, Ohtani and the Dodgers clinched the World Series title, and Ohtani secured his third Most Valuable Player award.
By Hallie Golden
