The former bookmaker involved in the gambling scandal with Dodgers baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges. Matthew Bowyer, 49, is set to plead guilty on August 9 for operating an illegal sports betting business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return. The US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced this development.
Bowyer's attorney, Diane Bass, mentioned that he is prepared to take responsibility for his actions. The plea agreement outlines potential sentences of up to 10 years for money laundering, five years for operating an unlawful gambling business, and three years for filing a false tax return.
In a separate case, Mizuhara, Ohtani's former interpreter, pleaded guilty to fraud and tax charges for embezzling nearly $17 million from the baseball player to settle gambling debts. Mizuhara faces a maximum of 30 years for bank fraud and three years for filing a false tax return, with sentencing scheduled for October 25.
Mizuhara was a client of Bowyer, placing over 19,000 bets with his illegal gambling operation between September 2021 and January 2024. Despite significant losses, Bowyer increased Mizuhara's betting limits, resulting in a substantial debt owed by the former interpreter.
The Justice Department revealed that Mizuhara used Ohtani's password without permission to access the player's bank account and made unauthorized changes to the account's security settings. Bowyer's illicit gambling business, which operated for at least five years until October, had up to 700 bettors at times and employed casino hosts who received a portion of the bettors' losses as payment.
Mizuhara began betting with Bowyer in September 2021 and resorted to stealing from Ohtani to cover his mounting debts. The allegations against Mizuhara surfaced in March following reports from ESPN and the Los Angeles Times, prompting Ohtani's legal team to accuse Mizuhara of substantial theft and involvement with a bookie under federal investigation.
Both US Attorney Martin Estrada and Major League Baseball have acknowledged Ohtani as a victim in this complex case.
