Bookmaker to plead guilty in gambling case tied to baseball star Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California bookmaker who took hundreds of sports activities bets from the ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead responsible to operating an unlawful playing enterprise, U.S. authorities introduced Thursday.

Mathew Bowyer’s enterprise operated for not less than 5 years in Southern California and Las Vegas and took wagers from greater than 700 bettors, together with Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, the U.S. Legal professional’s workplace in Los Angeles mentioned in a press release.

Bowyer has agreed to plead responsible to operating an unlawful playing enterprise, cash laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return, the assertion mentioned. He’s anticipated to enter the pleas in courtroom Aug. 9.

“Mr. Bowyer is wanting ahead to accepting accountability for his actions,” mentioned Diane Bass, Bowyer’s legal professional.

The prosecution in opposition to Bowyer follows a number of sports activities betting scandals that emerged this 12 months, together with one which prompted Main League Baseball to ban a participant for all times for the primary time since Pete Rose was barred in 1989.

Working an unlicensed betting enterprise is a federal crime. In the meantime, sports activities playing is prohibited in California, whilst 38 states and the District of Columbia permit some type of it.

Bass mentioned in March that she’d been working with federal prosecutors to resolve her consumer’s case and confirmed an October raid at his residence. She mentioned Mizuhara was putting bets with Bowyer on worldwide soccer however not baseball.

“Mr. Bowyer by no means had any contact with Shohei Ohtani, in particular person, on the cellphone, in any manner,” Bass advised the AP in March. “The one particular person he had contact with was Ippei.”

Mizuhara pleaded responsible to financial institution and tax fraud for stealing almost $17 million from Ohtani’s checking account.

Federal investigators say Mizuhara made about 19,000 wagers between September 2021 and January 2024. Whereas Mizuhara’s winnings totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his personal checking account and never Ohtani’s, his shedding bets had been round $183 million — a web lack of almost $41 million.

Nonetheless, investigators didn’t discover any proof Mizuhara had wagered on baseball. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in October.

Prosecutors mentioned there additionally was no proof Ohtani was concerned in or conscious of Mizuhara’s playing, and the participant is taken into account a sufferer and cooperated with investigators.

Federal prosecutors mentioned Bowyer’s different prospects included an expert baseball participant for a Southern California membership and a former minor league participant. Ciaran McEvoy, a spokesperson for the U.S. legal professional’s workplace, declined to call both of the alleged bettors or say whether or not they confronted felony expenses.

Final Could, the AP reported MLB was anticipated to research former Los Angeles Angels participant David Fletcher for playing on sports activities by way of Bowyer. The data got here from an individual accustomed to the state of affairs who spoke to the AP on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t at liberty to debate such impending issues.

MLB didn’t instantly reply Thursday to a question about whether or not the Fletcher investigation had been launched. Fletcher and Ohtani had been teammates on the Angels for six years. Ohtani now performs for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Individually, the league in June banned San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for all times and suspended 4 others for betting on baseball legally. Marcano turned the primary energetic participant in a century banned for all times due to playing.

Rose agreed to his ban in 1989 after an investigation discovered that he’d positioned quite a few bets on the Cincinnati Reds to win from 1985-87 whereas taking part in for and managing the workforce.

The league’s playing coverage prohibits gamers and workforce workers from wagering on baseball, even legally. MLB additionally bans betting on different sports activities with unlawful or offshore bookmakers. The penalty is set on the discretion of the commissioner’s workplace.

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Related Press writers Joe Reedy and Amy Taxin contributed to this report.