Bookmaker Involved in Ohtani’s Ex-Interpreter Gambling Scandal Agrees to Plead Guilty to Federal Charges

Matthew R. Bowyer of San Juan Capistrano, the man behind the bookie involved in Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter gambling scandal is expected to plead guilty to federal criminal charges of running an illegal sports betting business on August 9.

Besides the unlawful business activity, the charges include money laundering and tax fraud, according to a press release by the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

Diane Bass, the attorney of the Southern California bookmaker delivered a statement confirming that he had been “looking forward to accepting responsibility for his actions.”

As per the plea agreement, filed in June, the bookmaker would be confronted with a combined sentence of up to 18 years in federal prison – up to 10 years on account of the money laundering charges, up to 5 years for running an illegal gambling business, and up to 3 years for filing a false tax return.

As reported by CasinoGamesPro, the MLB star’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, also pleaded guilty to charges of massive theft and tax return fraud on June 4, with his sentencing hearing scheduled for October 5. The longtime interpreter of the Japanese professional baseball player faces up to 30 years in federal prison on account of bank fraud charges and up to 3 years for filing a false tax return.

The Los Angeles Dodgers star was considered a victim in the case. Following his interpreter’s guilty plea, he said he had got “closure”. He was ready to “move on”: “Now that the investigation had been completed, this full admission of guilt has brought important closure to me and my family.”

US Attorney’s Office Press Release Reveals More Details on the Illegal Gambling Business

The US Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, published a press release on August 1, providing details on the illegal business operation. Bowyer’s business, which violated California laws prohibiting bookmaking, was operational until October 2023, with more than 700 customers at times. The bookmaker operated out of several locations in Los Angeles and Las Vegas and used a number of Costa Rica-based websites.

For a period of more than two years, spanning September 2021 to January 2024, the interpreter had placed a minimum of 19,000 bets through one of the websites run by the illegal gambling business. With total winning bets of no less than $142,256,769 and losing bets of $182,935,206, he was left owning nearly $40,678,436.

Due to Bowyer’s admitted tax return fraud for 2022 and the false information he had filed, he “owes additional taxes of $1,613,280…, not including interest and penalties.” Additionally, per the plea agreement, the bookmaker will “forfeit $257,923 in U.S. currency and $14,830 in casino chips seized by law enforcement in October 2023.”