California bookmaker admits guilt in operating illicit gambling enterprise connected to former interpreter of Ohtani

A bookmaker from Southern California confessed to running an illegal gambling operation, laundering money, and making false tax returns. Mathew Bowyer, 49, admitted to the charges in federal court in Santa Ana and is set to be sentenced on February 7th. Bowyer disclosed to the judge his illegal activities, including running the gambling business and using others’ bank accounts for money laundering.

Federal prosecutors did not provide comments following the court hearing. Bowyer operated the illegal betting business for over five years in Southern California and Las Vegas, catering to more than 700 bettors, one of whom was Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani. It is illegal to run an unlicensed betting business and sports betting is prohibited in California, despite being legal in 38 states and the District of Columbia.

Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud for embezzling nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account. Investigations revealed that Mizuhara placed around 19,000 bets between September 2021 and January 2024, resulting in winnings exceeding $142 million. However, his losses amounted to approximately $183 million, leaving him with a net loss of nearly $41 million. Authorities did not find any proof of Mizuhara betting on baseball, and there is no indication that Ohtani was involved or aware of his former interpreter’s gambling activities.

Bowyer’s customers also included a professional baseball player from a Southern California team and a former minor league player, although their names were not disclosed in court documents. Bowyer’s guilty pleas are part of a series of sports betting scandals this year, culminating in the banning of San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life and the suspension of four other players for legal baseball betting. This is the first lifetime ban for an active player in a hundred years over gambling since Pete Rose’s ban in 1989 for betting on his team to win while playing for and managing the Cincinnati Reds. Major League Baseball prohibits players and staff from betting on baseball, even through legal means, and also forbids wagering on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers, with penalties decided by the commissioner’s office.