The world of baseball cards, typically associated with nostalgia and excitement for the sport, took a dark turn when it was revealed that Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, had been involved in a massive embezzlement scheme. The U.S. government is now making moves to confiscate a collection of valuable baseball cards accumulated through ill-gotten gains.
Mizuhara, who had played a pivotal role as Ohtani’s interpreter and confidant during the Japanese star’s time with the Los Angeles Angels, admitted to embezzling nearly $17 million from the player. His extravagant spending spree in early 2024 involved splurging over $325,000 of Ohtani’s money on baseball cards sourced from online platforms like eBay and Whatnot.
The collection in question boasts cards featuring legendary players like Yogi Berra, Juan Soto, and notably, Shohei Ohtani himself. These items, purchased with stolen funds, have now become a focal point in the legal battle surrounding Mizuhara’s fraudulent activities.
Federal prosecutors, acting on behalf of the U.S. government, are seeking permission from the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to seize Mizuhara’s baseball card collection, in addition to the associated packaging materials and card-protecting equipment. This request is part of the process to hold Mizuhara accountable for his actions, with his sentencing hearing scheduled for late October.
As part of a plea agreement reached earlier this year, Mizuhara has agreed to surrender not only the baseball card collection but also other sports memorabilia acquired using Ohtani’s funds. The plea deal stems from charges of bank and tax fraud that Mizuhara formally admitted to in June, following his initial agreement in May.
Mizuhara, at 39 years old, had built a close relationship with Ohtani since the player’s move to the Angels in 2018. Serving as more than just an interpreter, Mizuhara was seen as a trusted associate and unofficial manager by Ohtani. However, behind this facade of trust and friendship, Mizuhara was secretly diverting substantial sums of money from Ohtani’s accounts to satisfy personal debts and fuel his collecting habits.
The upcoming sentencing hearing, scheduled for October 25, is anticipated to include a ruling on the government’s forfeiture request regarding Mizuhara’s ill-gotten baseball card collection. This legal saga, encapsulated in the case of United States v. Mizuhara, is a stark reminder of how even the world of sports memorabilia can be tainted by greed and deceit.
