Shohei Ohtani isn’t done dealing with his former confidant, who stole millions from him.
The Dodgers star, who is seeking baseball cards valued at more than $325,000 his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara fraudulently purchased, will be getting them once Mizuhara is sentenced in January. Ohtani requested a hearing in California’s Central District court late last week as part of the restitution in the federal case against Mizuhara for stealing more than $17 million from Ohtani to pay off millions in sports gambling debts.
Once Mizuhara is sentenced, the government will move for an order “to reflect Ohtani’s superior interest in the property.”
The cards were seized from Mizuhara’s possession, which were purchased online from sites such as eBay and live shopping marketplace Whatnot between January and March 2024, according to his plea agreement in May. The purchases took place in the weeks leading up to Mizuhara’s scandal going public in March. Mizuhara intended to resell them, likely as another way to steal from his former client. Some of the cards feature Ohtani, while others include Hall of Famer Yogi Berra and star free agent Juan Soto.
The hearing was originally scheduled for Dec. 20, but federal prosecutors don’t find it necessary, given the validity of Ohtani’s claim.
“Ohtani holds a valid pre-existing interest in Forfeitable Property as title to the Forfeitable Property was vested in Ohtani at the time of the commission of the acts which give rise to the forfeiture,” prosecutors wrote in the filing.
Michael G. Freedman, Mizuhara’s attorney, declined to comment on the filing. Blair Berk, who is representing Ohtani, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mizuhara is expected to be sentenced Jan. 24 for bank and tax fraud in connection to the incident, which revealed he controlled Ohtani’s finances and used them to illegally bet and pay off debts accumulated from his losses. The 39-year-old was fired by the Dodgers in March, shortly after the season started, indicted by the federal government in April, and pleaded guilty in May. He faces a maximum of 33 years in prison.
