Several weeks after bombshell gambling reports surfaced against Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani is reportedly in negotiations with U.S. federal prosecutors on a guilty plea in the case.
The charges reportedly surround allegations that Mizuhara stole millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ star to cover a series of sports betting debts with a California illegal bookmaker.
Last month, reports surfaced that Mizuhara owed at least $4.5 million to the bookmaker. According to the New York Times, which first broke the story, Mizuhara may have stolen a higher amount than initially reported.
Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter, apparently apologized to the Dodgers for his gambling transgressions on March 20, following the team’s opening-day win over the Padres in South Korea.
Upon his return to the U.S., Ohtani denied betting on sports or making any payments on behalf of Mizuhara. Federal authorities may have gathered evidence that Mizuhara changed the alert settings on Ohtani’s bank to prevent the MLB player from receiving updates on the transactions, the Times reported, citing three individuals briefed on the matter.
Investigation into Bowyer 306j55
Meanwhile, more details have surfaced on Matt Bowyer, the alleged bookmaker in the case. In order to cover the gambling losses, an individual allegedly sent a series of wire transfer payments from Ohtani’s to an associate of Bowyer.
ESPN initially reviewed two transfers of $500,000 each, sent from the last fall. Hours later, Mizuhara told ESPN that he sent several other transfers purportedly to cover the additional losses.
Bowyer, a longtime VIP bettor, is well known in Las Vegas sports wagering circle to anyone immersed in the scene, a source told Sports Handle last month. Last October, federal authorities searched Bowyer’s Southern California home, according to Diane Bass, Bowyer’s attorney. There, federal law enforcement seized phones, computers and other devices.
Source says bookmaker Matt Bowyer allowed people to believe Ohtani was a client in order to boost business. "He used to brag about it."
w/ @TishaESPN, @pinepaula https://t.co/cwPXNp4QP9
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) March 28, 2024
While a federal investigation has focused on the illegal gambling activities of a ring operated by former minor league pitcher Wayne Nix, there are indications that Bowyer may have run a far larger enterprise. According to one source, who spoke to Sports Handle on the condition of anonymity, Bowyer had more than $10 million in cash seized by federal authorities.
It’s unclear if Bowyer has been granted immunity for cooperation in the case, according to a source who spoke with Sports Handle early Thursday morning.
The Ohtani case is one of several sports betting investigations that have drawn national attention in recent weeks.
Last month, leading commercial sportsbooks took a Temple-UAB game off the board after the line moved several points amid suspicious betting activity.
On Wednesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hinted that Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter could face a lifetime ban in connection with two player props in question.
The reports have tarnished the legal sports betting market somewhat ahead of next month’s sixth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s PASPA decision.
