Shohei Ohtani, the MLB star freshly crowned as the National League MVP and World Series champion with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is currently embroiled in a legal battle to reclaim approximately $325,000 worth of baseball cards. These coveted collectibles were illicitly procured by his former interpreter and close confidant, Ippei Mizuhara, who recently admitted to defrauding Ohtani of nearly $17 million.
In a bold move, Ohtani has taken his fight to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. He has formally requested ownership of the baseball cards that were seized from Mizuhara by law enforcement authorities. The court has granted a hearing on the matter, which is scheduled to take place on December 20.
The backdrop to this legal saga stems from Mizuhara’s June confession of bank and tax fraud, where he confessed to embezzling millions from Ohtani. Over a three-month period in early 2024, Mizuhara utilized funds from Ohtani’s accounts to purchase baseball cards from online platforms like eBay and Whatnot, with the intention of flipping them for profit. Ohtani asserts that these cards were bought using his finances and, therefore, rightfully belong to him.
Further complicating the situation, Ohtani revealed to the court that a selection of autographed collectible baseball cards, featuring his likeness, was discovered among Mizuhara’s possessions and inadvertently seized. As part of his plea, Ohtani is seeking the return of these personally signed items.
Court documents detail the seized items as including collectible sports cards housed in silver and black Panopply cases, as well as in gray Panopply cases. Additionally, there was a box containing more collectible sports cards, a card wrapping device, and plastic card protector holders among the confiscated goods.
Mizuhara’s downfall came about due to his unauthorized access to Ohtani’s bank accounts, leading to his actions being brought to light. The Dodgers swiftly terminated Mizuhara’s services in March upon learning of his fraudulent activities. Originally slated for sentencing on October 25 and subsequently rescheduled for December 20, Mizuhara’s court date has now been postponed once more to January 24.
The upcoming hearing on December 20 will play a pivotal role in determining whether Ohtani can successfully reclaim ownership of the seized baseball cards. This legal tussle marks another chapter in the aftermath of Mizuhara’s breach of trust towards one of baseball’s most prominent figures.
