In Los Angeles, a Southern California bookmaker, Mathew Bowyer, who had orchestrated thousands of sports bets involving the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, has agreed to plead guilty to operating an illegal gambling enterprise, authorities announced on Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles revealed that Bowyer’s illegal betting business spanned at least five years, operating across Southern California and Las Vegas. The operation catered to over 700 bettors, notably including Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter.
Bowyer has consented to plead guilty to charges of running an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return, according to the statement. This plea is set to be formally entered on August 9.
Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney, stated, “Mr. Bowyer is looking forward to accepting responsibility for his actions.”
This prosecution follows a spate of sports betting scandals this year, one of which led Major League Baseball to impose a lifetime ban on a player for the first time since Pete Rose’s infamous banishment in 1989.
Running an unlicensed betting business remains a federal crime, and sports gambling continues to be illegal in California, unlike in 38 states and the District of Columbia, where it is permitted in some form.
Bass indicated in March that she had been collaborating with federal prosecutors to resolve Bowyer’s case and confirmed a raid on his residence in October. She clarified that Mizuhara’s bets with Bowyer were on international soccer, not baseball.
“Mr. Bowyer never had any contact with Shohei Ohtani, in person, on the phone, in any way,” Bass told the Associated Press in March. “The only person he had contact with was Ippei.”
Mizuhara had previously pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud after embezzling nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account.
Federal investigators noted that Mizuhara placed approximately 19,000 bets between September 2021 and January 2024. Despite Mizuhara’s winnings totaling over $142 million, which he siphoned into his own bank account rather than Ohtani’s, his losses amounted to around $183 million, resulting in a net loss of nearly $41 million.
Nonetheless, investigators did not uncover any evidence that Mizuhara had bet on baseball. Mizuhara now awaits sentencing, scheduled for October.
Prosecutors also mentioned there was no evidence to suggest that Ohtani was involved in or aware of Mizuhara’s gambling activities. The player has been regarded as a victim and cooperated fully with investigators.
Additionally, federal prosecutors disclosed that Bowyer’s clientele extended to a professional baseball player from a Southern California club and a former minor league player. However, Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office, declined to identify these bettors or confirm whether they faced criminal charges.
Last May, the Associated Press reported that MLB was anticipated to investigate former Los Angeles Angels player David Fletcher for gambling on sports through Bowyer. This information came from a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the pending investigation.
Major League Baseball did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether an investigation into Fletcher had commenced. Fletcher and Ohtani were teammates on the Angels for six years, while Ohtani now plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In a separate incident, the league imposed a lifetime ban in June on San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano and suspended four other players for legally betting on baseball. Marcano’s ban marks the first instance in a century where an active player was permanently barred due to gambling.
Pete Rose had accepted his lifetime ban in 1989 following an investigation that revealed he placed numerous bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985 to 1987, during his tenure both as a player and a manager.
League policy strictly prohibits players and team employees from betting on baseball, even legally. Furthermore, MLB bans wagers on other sports made through illegal or offshore bookmakers, with penalties determined at the commissioner’s discretion.