Bookmaker Mathew Bowyer pleads guilty to bookmaking and money laundering charges related to Shohei Ohtani's former translator's gambling case, facing up to 18 years in prison.
Southern California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer has accepted a plea deal and will plead guilty to charges of bookmaking and money laundering related to a gambling case involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's former translator, Ippei Mizuhara. Bowyer's operation, which took bets from over 700 clients, is expected to result in him entering pleas in court on August 9. This development marks the first concrete proof that Bowyer has been under federal investigation. Mizuhara, who defrauded Ohtani to pay his gambling debts, also accepted a plea deal and will be sentenced in October. Despite being a victim of fraud, Ohtani was cleared by Major League Baseball earlier this season. Bowyer faces up to 18 years in prison, but a plea deal may reduce his sentence.