Shohei Ohtani, the exceptional talent who brought home a World Series victory and secured a National League MVP title with the Los Angeles Dodgers, finds himself embroiled in a legal tussle to recover $325,000 worth of baseball cards illicitly procured by his one-time interpreter and close associate, Ippei Mizuhara. This saga stems from Mizuhara’s guilty plea earlier this year, admitting to defrauding Ohtani of a staggering $17 million, leaving the superstar pitcher rightfully seeking justice through the legal system.
Taking his battle to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Ohtani submitted a petition on Tuesday, petitioning for the return of the sports cards confiscated from Mizuhara by law enforcement agencies. The court swiftly responded by scheduling a hearing for December 20 to deliberate on the matter and potentially grant Ohtani the restitution he seeks.
The intricate web of deceit spun by Mizuhara came to light in June when he owned up to perpetrating bank and tax fraud, openly acknowledging his misdeeds that led to the misappropriation of millions from Ohtani’s accounts. Spanning the brief period between January and March 2024, Mizuhara misused Ohtani’s funds to splurge on baseball cards across popular platforms like eBay and Whatnot with the intention of turning a profit. Ohtani argues that these cards were obtained using his finances and, consequently, rightfully belong in his possession.
Diving deeper into the legal proceedings, Ohtani disclosed to the court the discovery of “a quantity of personally signed collectible baseball cards” showcasing his image amidst Mizuhara’s possessions, wrongly lumped in with the seized items. Hence, Ohtani is earnestly petitioning for the return of these cards as part of his ongoing legal endeavors.
The court documents outline the inventory of the impounded items, detailing a mix of sports cards stowed away in distinctive silver and black Panopply cases, grey Panopply cases, alongside an array of additional collectible sports cards contained in a designated box. The stash also included a card-wrapping apparatus and plastic card protector holders, painting a vivid picture of the extent of Mizuhara’s activities.
Mizuhara’s calamitous downfall was precipitated by his covert access to Ohtani’s banking facilities, a breach of trust that led to his prompt dismissal from the Dodgers in March upon the revelation of his duplicitous practices. Initially slated for sentencing on October 25, the proceedings were rescheduled to December 20, only to face a further delay, pushing the date to January 24, underscoring the complexity and gravity of the case.
As the stage is set for the December 20 hearing, the fate of the seized sports cards hangs in the balance, poised to be decided by the legal system. This pivotal juncture marks another episode in the aftermath of Mizuhara’s profound betrayal of the trust vested in him by one of the luminaries of the baseball world, Shohei Ohtani.
