National League MVP Shohei Ohtani has another score to settle with his former interpreter. This time the subject matter is $325,000 worth of baseball cards that Ohtani claims were fraudulently purchased using his money.
Court documents filed this past week request that Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter, return signed baseball cards depicting Ohtani that Mizuhara was unauthorized to have.
The filing claims that Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank information in November 2021 and impersonated Ohtani so he could make wire transfers to purchase hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards from online sellers.
Mizuhara has already pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $17 million of Ohtani’s money for gambling purposes. He is facing nearly 30 years in prison for bank fraud.
He was Ohtani’s interpreter during his time with the Los Angeles Angels and became the superstar’s friend and used his access to Ohtani’s bank information to steal from him. It turns out it was not just for gambling purposes, but also baseball cards and collectibles. Now Ohtani wants the collectibles.
Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers before the 2024 season and helped the team win the World Series. During that season Ohtani became the first player in league history to ever hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season, while also winning his third MVP Award in four years. He has now been an MVP in both the American League and the National League.
Ohtani, the best two-way player baseball has seen since Babe Ruth, did not pitch this season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. He should be back on the pitcher’s mound next season for the Dodgers as they look to defend their latest World Series championship.