Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani desires his former interpreter at hand over a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} value of baseball playing cards he says had been fraudulently purchased utilizing his cash.
Ohtani can also be requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who beforehand pleaded responsible to financial institution and tax fraud for stealing practically $17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball playing cards depicting Ohtani that had been in Mizuhara’s “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” in accordance with court docket paperwork filed Tuesday.
The authorized submitting alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s checking account starting round November 2021, altering his safety protocols in order that he may impersonate him to authorize wire transfers. By 2024, Mizuhara had used that cash to purchase about $325,000 value of baseball playing cards at on-line resellers eBay and Whatnot, in accordance with the court docket paperwork.
Mizuhara’s lawyer, Michael G. Freedman, declined to touch upon the submitting.
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Mizuhara pleaded responsible in June to spending tens of millions from Ohtani’s Arizona checking account to cowl his rising playing bets and money owed with an unlawful bookmaker, in addition to his personal medical payments and the $325,000 value of baseball playing cards.
Mizuhara is scheduled to be sentenced in January after pleading responsible to 1 rely of financial institution fraud and one rely of subscribing to a false tax return, crimes that carry a possible sentence of greater than 30 years in federal jail. He additionally might be on the hook for restitution to Ohtani that might complete practically $17 million, in addition to greater than $1 million to the IRS. And as a authorized everlasting resident who has a inexperienced card, he may be deported to Japan.
Mizuhara stood by Ohtani’s facet for most of the Japanese sensation’s profession highlights, from serving as his catcher in the course of the House Run Derby on the 2021 All-Star Sport, to being there for his two American League MVP wins and his record-shattering $700 million, 10-year take care of the Dodgers.
Off the sector, Mizuhara grew to become Ohtani’s good friend and confidant. However Mizuhara gambled all of it away, betting tens of tens of millions of {dollars} that weren’t his to wager on worldwide soccer, NBA, NFL and faculty soccer video games — although prosecutors stated he by no means guess on baseball.
Final month, Ohtani and the Dodgers received the World Collection, and the baseball star received his third Most Worthwhile Participant award final Thursday.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
