Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani finds himself in a legal battle as he demands his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards. Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud, is accused of using Ohtani's money to make unauthorized purchases. Court documents reveal that Mizuhara accessed Ohtani's bank account in 2021 and changed security protocols to authorize wire transfers. By 2024, he had spent around $325,000 on baseball cards at online resellers. Mizuhara's attorney declined to comment.

Legal Proceedings and Potential Sentences

In June, Mizuhara pleaded guilty to spending millions from Ohtani's Arizona bank account to cover his gambling debts and medical bills, along with the baseball cards. He is scheduled to be sentenced in January and faces a potential sentence of more than 30 years in federal prison. He could also be required to pay nearly $17 million in restitution to Ohtani and over $1 million to the IRS. As a legal permanent resident with a green card, he might be deported to Japan.