On August 29, 2025, a saga that rocked Major League Baseball and reached deep into the world of high-stakes gambling came to a dramatic close in a Santa Ana federal courtroom. Mathew R. Bowyer, a 50-year-old bookmaker from San Juan Capistrano, was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for running an illegal gambling operation that ensnared not only professional athletes but also the trusted interpreter of one of baseball’s biggest stars, Shohei Ohtani. The sentence, delivered by U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb, also included two years of supervised release, mandatory gambling addiction counseling, and an order to pay $1,613,280 in restitution—a sum Bowyer had already paid before his day in court, according to reporting from ABC News and NBC4.
Bowyer’s operation, which prosecutors described as sprawling and sophisticated, ran for at least five years and boasted more than 700 clients. It operated largely in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Las Vegas, using a network of agents, sub-agents, and even Costa Rica-based websites and a call center to track bets, as reported by Yahoo Sports. The business raked in millions of dollars—$4,030,938 of unreported income in 2022 alone, according to court documents. Bowyer laundered much of this money through legitimate Las Vegas casinos, where he reportedly lost $7.9 million at just one venue. The scale of the enterprise was staggering, with prosecutors describing it as “unlicensed and illegal,” and fueled by the “exploitation of people he recognized were addicted and extending themselves beyond their means.”
But it was Bowyer’s connection to Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter for Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, that thrust the case into the national spotlight. Mizuhara, who had befriended Bowyer at a San Diego poker game in 2021, soon became one of his most prolific clients. Between December 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara placed at least 19,000 bets with Bowyer’s outfit, according to ESPN and court filings. The volume and scale of the wagers were eye-popping—Bowyer described seeing bets like “$100,000 on a draw, Ukraine vs. Turkey. $100,000 on Saudi Arabia,” and told ESPN, “He definitely was betting all night long, all the time. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Mizuhara’s gambling quickly spiraled out of control. By early 2024, he had lost nearly $41 million and was deeply in debt to Bowyer’s operation. To pay off what he owed, Mizuhara stole almost $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account, at one point sending Bowyer $500,000 per week, according to federal prosecutors and Yahoo Sports. Bowyer admitted he never questioned the source of these enormous payments, telling NBC4, “If you have a gentleman that’s paying you $500,000 every two weeks and seems to be very happy with the service and you’re making a lot of money and everyone seems very happy, I don’t need to know where he’s getting his money. That’s not my business.”
The scandal unraveled in March 2024, when ESPN began asking questions about the wire transfers from Ohtani’s account to Bowyer’s operation. Federal authorities soon raided Bowyer’s home in October 2023, seizing $257,923 in U.S. currency and $14,830 in casino chips, and the investigation quickly led to Mizuhara’s downfall. The former interpreter pleaded guilty on June 4, 2025, to bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return. He admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to cover his gambling debts and failing to pay taxes on his gambling income. Mizuhara is currently serving a 57-month prison sentence at FCI Allenwood Low, a low-security prison in Pennsylvania, and is expected to be deported to Japan after his release.
Despite the enormous sums involved and the high-profile nature of the case, all parties—including Bowyer, Mizuhara, the IRS, the Department of Justice, and Major League Baseball—concluded that Shohei Ohtani was an unknowing victim. Bowyer himself was adamant on this point, stating to reporters after his sentencing, “Shohei Ohtani doesn’t deserve to have any negative connotation to his name.” He reiterated to NBC4, “I do believe firmly Shohei did not make any sports bet or any wagers because I’ve been at Angels Stadium (and) he was actually playing baseball when bets were being made.”
The fallout extended beyond Ohtani and Mizuhara. Court documents revealed that among Bowyer’s 700-plus clients were other professional athletes, including an unnamed MLB player and a minor league player who bet on games the pro played in. Former Angels player David Fletcher was also alleged to have made bets with Bowyer, according to Yahoo Sports. The case even touched reality television, with “Real Housewives of Orange County” cast member Ryan Boyajian attending the sentencing. Boyajian, an associate of Bowyer’s who received wire transfers from Ohtani’s account, reportedly received immunity in exchange for his testimony, as reported by ESPN.
During the sentencing, Bowyer’s attorney, Kate Corrigan Bass, argued for home confinement, citing his recovery from gambling addiction and lack of victims beyond the government. Prosecutors, however, emphasized the societal harm caused by Bowyer’s crimes and the need for custodial time. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen A. Williams told the court, “He’s going out and talking to news media, talking about Mr. Mizuhara, the business he was in, there is a certain amount of notoriety that he is enjoying.” Judge Holcomb agreed that the tax-related crime “is significant and needs to be taken into account,” stating, “Justice demands there be some custody time.”
Bowyer, who has spoken openly about his lifelong addiction to gambling, expressed remorse for his actions and the pain caused to his family. “I’m remorseful for what’s occurred,” he told NBC4. “I’m terrified for what I put my family through. Clearly, don’t want to go to federal prison, which is what I’m looking at probably in three to four weeks, turning myself in, leaving five kids behind along with my beautiful wife.” He reflected on his choices, saying, “The biggest regret I have is not choosing my strengths and mindsets to do something legal and not having to look over my shoulder. Living this high life is amazing, the lows and the costs to do that is not worth it.”
As Bowyer prepares to surrender to authorities by October 10, 2025, he is working on a documentary about his life and has self-published a book. The scandal, which began with a single friendship at a poker table, has left an indelible mark on the world of sports and gambling. For many, it serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of unchecked addiction, the corrosive power of easy money, and the far-reaching consequences of one man’s choices.
