Bookie involved in Shohei Ohtani's interpreter Ippei Mizuhara's sports betting scandal pleads guilty

The betting scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, has received another major update. Orange County illegal bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, with whom Mizuhara placed illegal bets, pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday, admitting to charges of running an unlawful gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return, according to KCAL News.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Bowyer took bets from former and current professional athletes involving Mizuhara. As per California law, the sentence for such charges could range from 30 to 37 months.

Bowyer's attorney, Diane Bass, said his client is "relieved to finally be able to accept responsibility for his conduct."

"He is looking forward to his sentence so that he can put this chapter behind him and so he and his family can get on with their lives," Bass said. [via KCAL News].

According to court documents, Mathew Bowyer ran his gambling business for five years until October 2023. At the time, he had around 700 bettors placing bets through several Costa Rica-based websites and a call center. He had his offices in Orange County and one in Las Vegas.

Matthew Bowyer's attorney denies any involvement of Shohei Ohtani

MLB: Los Angeles Dodgers-Press Conference | Photo: Imagn

When the betting scandal came to the fore in March, Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara's names came up in an investigation into Orange County resident Mathew Bowyer.

Since then, many things have unfolded, such as Mizuhara being fired from his job as Ohtani's interpreter. In a separate press conference earlier, the Japanese star had already denied his involvement in the whole mess.

Mizuhara pleaded guilty to stealing $17 million from the Dodgers star's account fraudulently in early June. On Friday, Diane Bass confirmed that his client, Mathew Bowyer, never had any contact with Ohtani.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Ohtani's former interpreter placed over 19,000 bets with Bowyer's betting website. His winning bets accounted for $142 million, while his losing bets were around $182 million, resulting in a net loss of around $40 million.

Moreover, Bowyer filed a false tax return with the IRS, stating his income as $607,897. In actuality, the unreported income was around $4 million in 2022.