Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has been charged with fraud following his firing from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mizuhara is accused of stealing over $16 million from the star pitcher, way more than the $4 million initially reported. While most of that was used to pay off gambling debt, a 37-page complaint shows he also spent $325,000 of Ohtani’s money on baseball cards.
The U.S. Attorney’s office claims Mizuhara used Ohtani’s bank account to fund purchases on eBay and Whatnot. He is understood to have bought around 1,000 cards between January and late March using the alias “Jay Min,” per Sports Collectors Daily.
Some of the cards were mailed to him in care of the Dodgers, with Mizuhara instructing a staffer who handles mail for the team to set them aside for him.
According to IRS special investigator Chris Seymourards, cards were found in boxes and briefcases in his car and included memorabilia featuring Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Yogi Bera, and others.
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Seymour noted that some of the packages “had already been opened when I received them. Inside of these packages were baseball cards which appeared to be in protective cases for collecting.”
Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter Lost An Incredible Amount Of Money
Investigators believe that Mizuhara, who used an illegal California bookmaker to place his wagers, was planning to sell the cards later on.
For the most part, the money Mizuhara is accused of stealing was used to cover his debt from 2021 to early 2024. He is believed to have gambled an average of 25 times per day.
Mizuhara has been accused of placing 19,000 bets with a net loss of $40.7 million but didn’t bet on any baseball games, as far as investigators know.
