Shohei Ohtani, the star athlete fresh off a triumphant World Series victory and an outstanding season, is now embroiled in a legal battle to retrieve $325,000 worth of baseball cards unlawfully acquired by his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara, who had previously pled guilty to siphoning off nearly $17 million from Ohtani, is at the center of this high-profile case.
In a bid to reclaim these coveted collectibles, Ohtani has submitted a formal request to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The filing, made on Tuesday, aims to establish Ohtani’s rightful ownership of the sports cards that were confiscated from Mizuhara by law enforcement officials. A hearing, scheduled for December 20, has been granted to examine the intricacies of this dispute.
Delving into the backstory of the fraud committed by Mizuhara, it was revealed that he confessed to engaging in acts of bank and tax fraud earlier this year. In a tactical move to milk Ohtani’s resources, Mizuhara splurged significant sums from Ohtani’s account between January and March of 2024 on baseball cards purchased through online platforms like eBay and Whatnot. Ohtani is steadfast in his belief that these cards were procured using his own finances, thus justifying his claim to their ownership.
Additionally, Ohtani has brought to light the discovery of “a quantity of personally signed collectible baseball cards” bearing his likeness among the items seized from Mizuhara. Insisting that they rightfully belong to him, Ohtani has included their return in his appeal to the court.
Court documents have cataloged the confiscated items as a collection of sports cards housed in silver and black Panopply cases, as well as gray Panopply cases. Furthermore, the stash included a box containing more collectible sports cards, a card wrapping accessory, and plastic card protectors, all integral to the avid collector’s repertoire.
Mizuhara’s plunge from grace stemmed from his illicit activities which involved unauthorized access to Ohtani’s financial accounts. The Los Angeles Dodgers promptly severed ties with Mizuhara upon the exposure of his fraudulent practices. Originally slated for sentencing on October 25, the proceedings were rescheduled for December 20 and then once more postponed to January 24.
Looking ahead, the pivotal hearing set for December 20 will determine the fate of Ohtani’s crusade to recover the confiscated sports cards. This legal maneuver represents another crucial juncture in the aftermath of Mizuhara’s breach of trust against one of baseball’s brightest stars.
