Orange County man to plead guilty on charges connected to illegal sports betting involving former Ohtani interpreter
An Orange County man accused of running an illegal sports betting operation, who was connected to transactions by L.A. Dodger star Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, has agreed to plead guilty to various gambling-related federal charges.
Mathew Bowyer, 49, is expected to plead guilty next week to charges of operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return.
Boyer, of San Juan Capistrano, took in unlawful sports bets from then-current and former professional athletes, including Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California.
Mizuhara pleaded guilty to federal charges on June 4, admitting he stole millions from the Dodgers' slugger to pay off illegal gambling debts.
Following a massive investigation that began in March, prosecutors uncovered that the 39-year-old Mizuhara stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay for his gambling. Ohtani claimed that he knew nothing about Mizuhara's activity and was cleared by federal prosecutors of any potential involvement.
According to his plea agreement, Bowyer operated an unlicensed and illegal bookmaking business that focused on sports betting and violated California law. Bowyer's gambling business remained in operation for at least five years until October 2023 and at times had more than 700 bettors.
He operated this business out of locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties and in Las Vegas. He also used several Costa Rica-based websites and a call center for placing and tracking bets.
From September 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara placed at least 19,000 bets with Bowyer's illegal gambling business through a betting website. During this period, Mizuhara had total winning bets of at least $142 million and total losing bets of at least $182 million, leaving Mizuhara owing approximately $40 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Bowyer also admitted in his plea agreement to falsely reporting his taxable income to the IRS on his 2022 tax return. Bowyer reported $607,897 in total income on the return, but his unreported income for that year was over $4 million, he admitted.
As a result of the false information, Bowyer owes additional taxes of $1.6 million, not including interest and penalties, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Upon pleading guilty, Bowyer will face up to 18 years in federal prison, prosecutors said, and will forfeit $257,923 in cash and $14,830 in casino chips seized by law enforcement.
He also has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors and investigators. Bowyer is expected to plead guilty to the charges on August 9.
Mizuhara's sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 25.
