MLB: Bookmaker in Shohei Ohtani interpreter case to plead guilty

Date:

Share post:


Mathew Bowyer, the illegal bookmaker who took millions of dollars in bets from the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, will plead guilty next week on charges of bookmaking and money laundering, per court records unsealed Thursday.

Bowyer worked with Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s ex-interpreter and friend, who admitted to taking Ohtani’s money to cover his gambling debts. Prosecutors said Mizuhara stole $17 million from Ohtani.

Bowyer, 49, will plead guilty on Aug. 9 to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and signing a false tax return, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles. He could face a total of up to 18 years in prison for those three counts.

In June, Mizuhara pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return. Major League Baseball closed its investigation that day, the league saying Ohtani had been cleared of any involvement in the gambling scheme and was considered a victim of fraud.

As for Bowyer, Mizuhara was just one of more than 700 clients.

The court records mentioned two other bettors who placed bets with Bowyer’s organization. “Individual B” was cited as a professional baseball player for a Southern California club, and “Individual C” was listed as a former minor league baseball player.

Individual C bet on a variety of sports, including games that Individual B played in.

–Field Level Media

spot_img

Related articles

MLB: Pirates sign LHP Caleb Ferguson to 1-year contract

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced the signing of left-hander Caleb Ferguson to a one-year contract on Friday. The Pirates did...

MLB: Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. avoid arbitration with $28.5M deal

One year after earning a record salary through arbitration, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays avoided...

MLB: Eight Astros avoid arbitration; Framber Valdez lands reported $18M

The Houston Astros came to terms on one-year contracts for all eight of their arbitration-eligible players on Thursday,...

MLB: Cardinals heading to arbitration with Lars Nootbaar, 2 others

The St. Louis Cardinals did not reach deals with three arbitration-eligible players - outfielder Lars Nootbaar, outfielder/second baseman...

FREE

Get the most important breaking news and analyses for Free.

Thank you for subscribing

Something went wrong.