Shohei Ohtani, the dynamic baseball star who recently secured a World Series victory with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is now embroiled in a legal battle to reclaim his stolen baseball cards worth a staggering $325,000. The culprit behind this illicit act is none other than his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who earlier admitted to defrauding Ohtani of nearly $17 million.
In a bold move, Ohtani has lodged a request with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, asserting his rightful ownership of the sports cards that were unlawfully obtained by Mizuhara. The court has responded by scheduling a pivotal hearing on December 20 to address this contentious issue.
Ippei Mizuhara’s confession in June uncovered a web of deceit, where he confessed to committing bank and tax fraud to siphon off millions from Ohtani’s accounts. Over a span of just three months in 2024, Mizuhara proceeded to use Ohtani’s finances to purchase baseball cards from online platforms like eBay and Whatnot with the intention of profiting from their resale. Ohtani stands firm in his claim that these cards were bought using his monetary assets and hence rightfully belong to him.
In a surprising twist to the case, Ohtani also revealed to the court that a collection of personally signed collectible baseball cards, featuring his image, was among the items discovered in Mizuhara’s possession and wrongly confiscated during the seizure. As part of his plea to the court, Ohtani is also seeking the return of these distinct cards that hold sentimental value to him.
Court documents outlined the nature of the confiscated items, specifying various collectible sports cards housed in silver and black Panoply cases, gray Panoply cases, and additional cards stored in a box. Also among the seized items were a card wrapping device and plastic card protector holders, underscoring the magnitude of the fraud orchestrated by Mizuhara.
Mizuhara’s illicit actions stemmed from unauthorized access to Ohtani’s bank account, leading to his eventual downfall. The Dodgers swiftly terminated Mizuhara’s employment in March upon uncovering his fraudulent schemes. Initially slated for sentencing on October 25 and later postponed to December 20, Mizuhara’s sentencing date has now been rescheduled once more to January 24, indicating the complexity and gravity of his crimes.
Looking ahead, the scheduled hearing on December 20 will play a crucial role in determining whether Ohtani can successfully reclaim ownership of the confiscated sports cards. This legal showdown represents another crucial juncture in the aftermath of Mizuhara’s egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him by one of baseball’s brightest stars, Shohei Ohtani.
