The Southern California individual managing betting operations, a key player in the Shohei Ohtani-Ippei Mizuhara situation, was handed a prison term of one year and one day this past Friday, essentially concluding the sequence of events that held the attention of MLB followers in the preceding year.
Matthew Bowyer, aged 50, admitted to a single charge of overseeing an illegal wagering enterprise, a charge of illicit financial transactions, and a charge related to filing a deceptive tax declaration back in August of 2024. Beyond the incarceration period, he has been mandated to provide restitution amounting to $1,613,280.
As a component of his acknowledged culpability agreement, he consented to relinquish $257,923 in American legal tender and $14,830 worth of casino tokens, all confiscated by enforcement agencies in 2023.
Addressing journalists in the aftermath of his court proceedings, Bowyer articulated his acceptance of the repercussions for his conduct:
“Upon committing a crime, one must face the punishment. Ultimately, I was participating in unlawful actions, and my stance has remained unaltered since the beginning. My family is present, along with all those who care for me. When one engages in wrongdoing, they cannot anticipate enjoying all the advantages and positive aspects, or the illicit activities they undertake, without expecting some form of consequence.”
Everyone involved in the Shohei Ohtani scandal, including the bookie involved, have said the Dodgers star was a victim. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Bowyer’s unlawful gambling venture was the recipient of the majority of the funds pilfered by Mizuhara from Ohtani. According to the formal grievance levied against Ohtani’s previous associate and translator, Mizuhara initiated over 19,000 betting transactions with Bowyer from December 2021 until January 2024, accumulating a total deficit of $40.7 million.
In order to settle the incurred debt, Mizuhara unlawfully procured $16 million from a financial account held by Ohtani and, at a specific juncture, was remitting $500,000 weekly to Bowyer directly from the mentioned account, which he accessed by modifying the registered telephone contact and electronic mailing address associated with the financial institution. Upon Mizuhara’s failure to address certain incoming communications, Bowyer is alleged to have dispatched a written message stating his observation of Ohtani and an intent to initiate contact with him.
The federal inquiry concerning Bowyer ultimately resulted in the downfall of Mizuhara, attributable to the fact that investigators possessed legitimate inquiries upon discovering numerous electronic fund transfers originating from a banking resource bearing Ohtani’s credentials. Mizuhara subsequently received a custodial sentence of 57 months for offenses related to financial institution fraud and tax evasion.
Even though an initial ambiguity surrounded Ohtani’s degree of participation, in conjunction with apprehensions that he possibly engaged in personal betting activities, all individuals implicated in the matter, encompassing Bowyer, Mizuhara, the IRS, the DOJ, along with MLB, have collectively inferred that Ohtani was the unconsenting sufferer. Bowyer affirmed this viewpoint this past Friday, specifying that an element of his accountable declaration was intended at concluding the subject for MLB:
“We sought to guarantee that MLB, the Dodgers organization, and the Angels were enabled to resume their activities and operate unhindered by disseminating truthful information and furnishing all pertinent facts… Shohei Ohtani is undeserving of any form of unfavorable association pertaining to his standing.”
Former Angels athlete David Fletcher is furthermore purported to have placed financial wagers by means of Bowyer.
Bowyer’s clandestine establishment transcended beyond merely a limited number of athletes. As stated by authoritative sources, he administered his illicit trade within Los Angeles, Orange County, in conjunction with Las Vegas, through a framework encompassing agents and sub-agents, several of whom functioned as casino personnel. It has further been documented that he utilized an assortment of Costa Rican online platforms and a communication hub to accommodate and monitor monetary wagers.
It was previously asserted that Bowyer engaged in laundering a considerable portion of the received capital by gambling at authorized Las Vegas casinos, accumulating monetary losses of $7.9 million at a solitary location.
