Bowyer pleads guilty; sentencing for US illegal bookie set for February

Mathew Bowyer, who ran an illegal bookmaking business for at least five years in California, Friday (9 August) pled guilty to three federal charges. Bowyer had more than 700 customers, including former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.

Bowyer told Judge John W Holcomb, “I was running an illegal gambling operation, laundering money through other people’s bank accounts.” The hearing was held at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and US Courthouse in Santa Ana, Calif.

That is the same location at which Mizuhara pled guilty to stealing $17m from Ohtani to bet with Bowyer. Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in prison and is set to be sentenced in October.

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara faces up to 33 years in prison
Photo by Jill R. Dorson
Holcomb set Bowyer’s sentencing for 7 February 2025. He faces a maximum of 18 years in prison, and three years of probation. He could be fined $750,000 or two times the “gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offences” – whichever is higher.

Running an illegal business is a federal offence, and sports betting is not legal in California.

Bowyer fourth charged in betting scandal
Bowyer was charged with running an illegal sportsbook, laundering money and filing a false tax return. The charges were the result of an extensive investigation by federal authorities dating back to last year.

Bowyer is the fourth person charged in the Southern California sports betting scandal. Key player Wayne Nix was charged in 2022. He was initially set to be sentenced last March, but that date was pushed out to 25 September.

Mizuhara’s sentencing is set for 25 October.

So far, only Scott Sibella, the Las Vegas casino executive, has been sentenced.

Scott Sibella is the only individual charged in the illegal betting scandal to date
Sibella failed to file a “suspicious activity report” when he worked at MGM Grand. He gave Nix, a known illegal bookmaker, $120,000 in exchange for a casino marker. While he was being investigated, Sibella was the president at Resorts World, which terminated him in 2023 when it became aware of the investigation.

So far, all the men associated with the betting scandal have pled guilty. For Sibella, the guilty plea and other factors resulted in a reduced sentence. He got 12 months probation and has to pay a $9,500 fine.

Two baseball players were Bowyer clients
Court documents revealed that Bowyer, 49, had at least two professional athletes as clients.

“Individual B was a professional baseball player for a Southern California baseball club. Individual C was a former minor league baseball player,” according to the documents. The two players were “close friends.”

Though the players are not named in the documents, they are likely David Fletcher, who was an infielder for the Los Angeles Angels, and former minor leaguer Cody Schultz. Fletcher is currently playing in the Atlanta Braves farm system. Major League Baseball in investigating him, but he has not been charged by the league or federal agents.

Schultz, according to previous reports, is believed to be an illegal bookmaker, though he has not been charged. He played at least one season in the Pioneer League.