Shohei Ohtani seeks $325,000 worth of baseball cards from ex-interpreter
Baseball star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars in baseball cards that he claims were fraudulently purchased with his money.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also asking Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly $17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, to return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani engaging in Mizuhara’s “illicit and unlawful possession,” according to court documents filed Tuesday.
The legal filing alleges that Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account starting in November 2021, altering his security protocols so he could impersonate him to authorize wire transfers. According to court documents, Mizuhara used that money in 2024 to buy about $325,000 worth of baseball cards from online resellers eBay and Whatnot.
Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G Freedman, declined to comment on the filing.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to spending millions from Ohtani’s bank account in Arizona to cover his growing gambling bets and debts to an illegal bookmaker, as well as his own medical bills and the $325,000 worth of baseball cards.
Mizuhara will be sentenced in January after pleading guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return, crimes that carry a potential prison sentence of more than 30 years. He could also be on the hook for restitution to Ohtani, which could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. And as a legal permanent resident with a green card, he could be deported to Japan.
Mizuhara was by Ohtani’s side during many of the Japanese sensation’s career highlights, from serving as his catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game, to being present at his two American League MVP wins and his record-breaking $700 million. 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Off the field, Mizuhara became Ohtani’s friend and confidante. He famously resigned from the Los Angeles Angels during the 2021 MLB lockout so he could continue talking to Ohtani — he was rehired after a deal was made — and their wives reportedly started seeing each other.
But Mizuhara gambled it all away, betting tens of millions of dollars that weren’t his to bet on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football — even though prosecutors said he never bet on baseball.
Earlier this year, Ohtani and the Dodgers won the World Series, and the baseball star won his third Most Valuable Player award.