Baseball star Shohei Ohtani wants his former interpreter to hand over hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of baseball cards he says were fraudulently bought using his money.
The Los Angeles Dodgers star is also requesting Ippei Mizuhara, who previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly $17 million from the unsuspecting athlete, return signed collectible baseball cards depicting Ohtani that were in Mizuhara's “unauthorized and wrongful possession,” according to court documents filed Tuesday.
The legal filing alleges Mizuhara accessed Ohtani’s bank account beginning around November 2021, changing his security protocols so that he could impersonate him to authorize wire transfers. By 2024, Mizuhara had used that money to buy about $325,000 worth of baseball cards at online resellers eBay and Whatnot, according to the court documents.
Mizuhara’s attorney, Michael G. Freedman, declined to comment on the filing.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to spending millions from Ohtani’s Arizona bank account to cover his growing gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, as well as his own medical bills and the $325,000 worth of baseball cards.
Mizuhara is due to be sentenced in January after pleading guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return, crimes that carry a potential sentence of more than 30 years in federal prison. He also could be on the hook for restitution to Ohtani that could total nearly $17 million, as well as more than $1 million to the IRS. And as a legal permanent resident who has a green card, he might be deported to Japan.
Mizuhara stood by Ohtani’s side for many of the Japanese sensation’s career highlights, from serving as his catcher during the Home Run Derby at the 2021 All-Star Game, to being there for his two American League MVP wins and his record-shattering $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Off the field, Mizuhara became Ohtani’s friend and confidant. He famously resigned from the Los Angeles Angels during the 2021 MLB lockout so he could keep speaking to Ohtani — he was rehired after a deal was struck — and their wives reportedly socialized.
But Mizuhara gambled it all away, betting tens of millions of dollars that weren’t his to wager on international soccer, the NBA, the NFL and college football — though prosecutors said he never bet on baseball.
Earlier this year, Ohtani and the Dodgers won the World Series, and the baseball star won his third Most Valuable Player award.
FILE - Ippei Mizuhara, left, stands next to Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Shohei Ohtani, right, during an interview at Dodger Stadium, Feb. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)
KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — Commissioner Jay Monahan wasn't kidding when he told the PGA Tour staff in his year-end message that “everything was on the table.” That includes what could be another massive overhaul at the Tour Championship to determine the FedEx Cup champion.
How soon it happens — and what it looks like — is part of a study that ultimately will require PGA Tour board approval.
And like everything else, getting everyone on the same page might be the biggest obstacle.
“I'd like to see something the players are excited about and the fans are excited about,” said Patrick Cantlay, one of six players on the board. “There has been some talks around it, but nothing definitive.”
Two PGA Tour officials said several concepts are still under discussion as officials review what effect it would have on everything from television to corporate hospitality at East Lake to finding the best way to reward the top performer.
The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private. One person directly involved in studying the various concepts said none has been brought to the Players Advisory Council, which has taken on a more active role in another slate of changes that involve player eligibility and field sizes.
“I just think it's important to have an open mind,” Cantlay said. “The format has changed a number of times, and trying to get the right one for that elite of an event I think is important.”
The tour is leaning toward a bracket of seeds. While considered the purest format in golf competition, match play on television can be less compelling as the field shrinks. One of the options involves stroke play to narrow the field and a form of medal matches — head-to-head stroke play — assuring 18 holes.
Cantlay, who won the FedEx Cup in 2021, doesn't like the current format, which began in 2019 and includes “starting strokes” — the No. 1 seed starts at 10-under par, down to the last five seeds starting at even par. That was created to eliminate confusion over one player winning the Tour Championship and another winning the FedEx Cup.
Tiger Woods won the Tour Championship in 2018, his first since multiple back surgeries, and it took all the attention away from Justin Rose winning the FedEx Cup. In a previous version, Phil Mickelson won the Tour Championship and Woods won the FedEx Cup in 2009.
“Let me see if I get this straight — I shot 65 and he shot (70) and he gets a check for $10 million,” Mickelson said that day. He was joking, but it illustrated the conflicting storylines the tour wanted to avoid.
The FedEx Cup champion now gets $25 million.
Scottie Scheffler won it last year to cap off his marvelous season as the world's best player, though he didn't post the lowest 72-hole score because of his head start. It was the fourth time in six years the FedEx Cup champion did not have the low score at East Lake.
Adam Scott, who also serves on board, urged caution when it came to what he referred to as a “legacy” event, which he considers the Tour Championship. He won it in 2006 in the first week of November. The FedEx Cup began the next year.
He said the Tour Championship has "kind of gotten lost in the wash” because of so many iterations since 2007.
“But I guess it’s needed to have a look at it, not only to satisfy the players but to give a fitting end to the season,” Scott said. "Seemingly, it's not really doing that. It takes a lot of criticism in the lead-in to the event. Looking for a better format is worthwhile.”
Bracketology — think the NCAA basketball tournament and now college football — requires seeds, and it doesn't translate in golf like other sports because there's such a fine line between the 30 top players. But it could provide easy storylines for television and for fans to follow.
Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley described the current format as “clunky.” The idea of some form of head-to-head competition got his attention.
“I think that would be certainly interesting, because the pressure you feel at the Tour Championship ... if you’re going to win the FedEx Cup and win whatever amount of money is at stake, that’s real pressure,” Bradley said. “So to watch two guys go out and play for it would be pretty cool.”
Scott and Collin Morikawa said seeds are different in golf, even when compared with another individual sport like tennis, because talent isn't easily separated in 18 holes.
“It's not obvious the No. 1 seed is going to dust off the No. 55 seed,” Scott said.
He raised the idea of a format the tour once briefly considered before going to the “starting strokes” format in 2019.
“I think if we're open-minded, you can play a traditional event on Wednesday to Saturday and have a Tour Championship, and have a small number of players tee off on Sunday for the FedEx Cup,” Scott said.
Tony Finau felt head-to-head would be out of place with so much riding on the outcome.
“To put all the chips on the table for match play, I think that would be the wrong move,” he said. “We play too many stroke-play events and we don't even have one match play. I get that could create more drama, maybe something head-to-head. As a player, I don't see how that would be the most fair.
“Whatever the format is," Finau added, "there's a lot of money at the end.”
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
FILE - Phil Mickelson, left, and Tiger Woods pose with their trophies after the final round of The Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. Mickelson won The Tour Championship and Tiger Woods won the FedEx Cup. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
FILE - PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, left, poses with Scottie Scheffler and the FedExCup Trophy after Scheffler won the final round of the Tour Championship golf tournament, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen, File)
