Shohei Ohtani, a baseball phenom, demands that his former interpreter turn up hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of baseball cards that he claims were purchased fraudulently with his funds.
According to court documents filed Tuesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers star is also asking Ippei Mizuhara, who previously entered a guilty plea to bank and tax fraud for stealing almost $17 million from the unwary athlete, to return signed collectible baseball cards featuring Ohtani that were in Mizuhara’s unlawful and unauthorized possession.
According to the court document, Mizuhara changed Ohtani’s security settings and gained access to his bank account starting in November 2021, allowing him to pretend to be him and approve wire payments. According to court records, Mizuhara utilized the money to purchase baseball cards at internet retailers eBay and Whatnot for around $325,000 by 2024.
Michael G. Freedman, Mizuhara’s lawyer, refrained from commenting on the document.
In June, Mizuhara entered a guilty plea to using millions of dollars from Ohtani’s Arizona bank account to pay for his personal medical expenses, the $325,000 worth of baseball cards, and his expanding gambling wagers and debts with an illicit bookmaker.
Mizuhara entered a guilty plea to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, each of which carry a maximum term of more than 30 years in federal prison. Mizuhara is scheduled to be sentenced in January. In addition, he might be responsible for more than $1 million in IRS penalties and over $17 million in reparations to Ohtani. Additionally, he might be deported to Japan as a green card holder and legal permanent resident.
Mizuhara supported Ohtani during many of the highlights of the Japanese sensation’s career, including his two American League MVP awards, his record-breaking $700 million, 10-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his role as his catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game.
Mizuhara became Ohtani’s confidante and companion off the field. In order to continue talking to Ohtani, he famously left the Los Angeles Angels during the 2021 MLB lockout. He was later rehired after an agreement was reached and their spouses apparently got along.
Prosecutors claim that Mizuhara never bet on baseball, but he squandered it all away, wagering tens of millions of dollars that weren’t his to wager on college football, the NBA, the NFL, and international soccer.
The baseball star received his third Most Valuable Player award after he and the Dodgers won the World Series earlier this year.
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