Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is asking a judge for baseball cards confiscated from a former interpreter in a scandal

According to The Athletic, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has asked a federal judge for possession of $325,000 in baseball cards that he claims were fraudulently obtained by his former interpreter.

Ohtani asked a federal judge in California on Tuesday for a hearing to regain ownership of sports cards seized from Ippei Mizhura. Ippei Mizhura pleaded guilty to defrauding Ohtani of nearly $17 million in a massive scandal that dominated the weeks leading up to the season last spring.

According to the report, between January and March 2024, Mizuhara purchased baseball cards online with the intent of reselling them. Ohtani said they were purchased with his money and that he wants them back from authorities, who confiscated the cards when they arrested Mizuhara. Ohtani also claimed “a quantity of personally signed, collectible baseball cards” with the back of his image that were in Mizuhara’s possession when they were confiscated by authorities.

Mizuhara admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani earlier this year to pay off his sports betting debts. He therefore faces up to 33 years in prison. He must appear in court again in January to announce his sentence. He was Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and also served as his financial advisor when Ohtani moved to the United States in 2018.

Mizuhara made an average of about 25 bets per day from December 2021 to January 2024, with an average stake of $12,800, prosecutors said. In total, he lost around $40.7 million. By accessing Ohtani’s bank accounts, Mizuhara stole millions to pay off these debts. The Dodgers fired Mizuhara earlier this year, and Ohtani has long denied knowledge of it. He cooperated with investigators, insisting that he never bet on sports and did not know that Mizuhara would steal from him.

Ohtani and the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees and won the World Series earlier this fall. Ohtani also unanimously won his third career postseason MVP award despite not pitching once while recovering from elbow surgery he underwent at the end of his time with the Los Angeles Angels. As the Dodgers’ full-time DH, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season. Ohtani is expected to take the mound again next season.