Shohei Ohtani, the standout baseball player fresh from a sensational World Series win and a remarkable MVP season, is now embroiled in a legal battle to recover $325,000 worth of baseball cards that were illicitly obtained by his former interpreter and close associate, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara, who recently admitted to defrauding Ohtani of a staggering $17 million, now faces Ohtani’s plea to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to restore the sports memorabilia to its rightful owner.
The saga of deception unfolded earlier this year when Mizuhara confessed to bank and tax fraud, acknowledging his role in siphoning off millions from Ohtani. Over a short span from January to March 2024, Mizuhara misused Ohtani’s finances to make acquisitions of baseball cards through popular platforms like eBay and Whatnot, with the intention of flipping them for profit. Ohtani firmly contends that the cards were procured using his funds, hence establishing his rightful claim over them.
Immersing further into the tangled web of deceit, Ohtani alerted the court to the discovery of “a quantity of personally autographed collectible baseball cards” bearing his likeness amidst Mizuhara’s possessions, which were erroneously confiscated. Ohtani is vehemently pushing for the retrieval of these items as well, forming a crucial part of his legal pursuit.
The inventory of impounded items as outlined in the court filings encompasses an assortment of collectible sports cards housed in silver and black Panopply cases, alongside similar cards stored in gray Panopply cases. Additionally, a collection of sports cards housed in a box, a card packaging apparatus, and plastic card protector holders were among the confiscated articles.
Mizuhara’s staggering downfall stemmed from his unauthorized entry into Ohtani’s financial system. Following the exposure of his fraudulent schemes, the Los Angeles Dodgers promptly severed ties with Mizuhara in March. Initially slated for a sentencing appointment on October 25, which was subsequently shifted to December 20, Mizuhara’s legal fate has now been postponed once more to January 24.
The upcoming hearing scheduled for December 20 is poised to be a pivotal moment in the ongoing dispute, serving as the deciding factor in whether Ohtani can successfully reclaim ownership of the detained sports cards. This legal tussle illustrates another chapter in the aftermath of Mizuhara’s egregious breach of trust, a betrayal that shook the foundation of the relationship between him and one of baseball’s brightest luminaries.
