by Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has asked a federal judge for possession of baseball cards worth $325,000 that he claims were fraudulently purchased by his former interpreter, according to The Athletic.
Ohtani asked a California federal judge Tuesday for a hearing to regain ownership of sports cards seized from Ippei Mizhura, who pleaded guilty to defrauding Ohtani of nearly $17 million in a massive scandal that has dominated weeks preceding the season. last spring.
Between January and March 2024, according to the report, Mizuhara purchased baseball cards online with the intention of reselling them. Ohtani said they were bought with his money and he wanted those back from authorities who seized the cards during Mizuhara’s arrest. Ohtani also requested “a quantity of personally signed collectible baseball cards” with his image on the back that were in Mizuhara’s possession when they were seized by authorities.
Mizuhara admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off his sports betting debts earlier this year. He therefore risks up to 33 years in prison. He is due back in court in January for sentencing. He has been Ohtani’s longtime interpreter and also acted as financial manager when Ohtani moved to the United States in 2018.
Mizuhara made an average of about 25 bets per day, with an average wager of $12,800 from December 2021 to January 2024, prosecutors said. He lost a total of about $40.7 million. Gaining access to Ohtani’s bank accounts, Mizuhara stole millions in an attempt to repay this debt. The Dodgers fired Mizuhara earlier this year, and Ohtani has long denied knowledge of any of this. He cooperated with investigators and insisted he never bet on any sport and did not know Mizuhara was stealing from him.
Ohtani and the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees to win the World Series earlier this fall. Ohtani also unanimously won his third career MVP award after the season, although he did not pitch once while recovering from elbow surgery he underwent late from his time with the Los Angeles Angels. As a full-time infielder for the Dodgers, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. Ohtani is expected to return to the mound next season.
