The unlawful bookie who took bets from Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter was sentenced to only over a 12 months in jail on Friday.
Mathew Bowyer was given a jail sentence of 12 months and sooner or later after pleading responsible in August 2024 to working an unlawful playing enterprise, cash laundering, and submitting a false tax return.
U.S. District Decide John W. Holcomb additionally ordered Bowyer, 50, to attend playing dependancy counseling.
Holcomb stated that Bowyer’s tax return crime “is important and must be taken into consideration” and added that “justice calls for there be some custody time.”
Previous to Bowyer’s sentencing, prosecutors stated in a courtroom submitting that they went with a lighter sentence for Bowyer due to his help with the conviction of Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter, together with one other bookie.
Bowyer’s legal professional, Diane Bass, initially requested Decide Holcomb to provide him home arrest, citing his playing dependancy restoration and that he didn’t know Mizuhara was taking from Ohtani.
“He didn’t suppose he was making the most of anybody,” Bass stated. “We didn’t realize it was going to be a high-profile case… then rapidly there’s this enormous media curiosity.”
Nevertheless, assistant U.S. Legal professional Kristen A. Williams identified Bowyer’s interactions with the media, the place he talked about Mizuhara, saying that his case was not “merely about an addict who acquired into hassle.”
“He’s going out and speaking to information media, speaking about Mr. Mizuhara, the enterprise he was in, there’s a certain quantity of notoriety that he’s having fun with,” Williams stated in courtroom.
In response to courtroom filings, Bowyer had over 700 purchasers and first met Mizuhara again in 2021 in San Diego.
Between December 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara positioned a minimum of 19,000 bets, shedding virtually $41 million and stole almost $17 million from Ohtani to repay money owed.
In an interview with ESPN, Bowyer stated that it took him only a month to comprehend that Mizuhara was an issue gambler, citing how typically and the forms of bets he was putting.
“He positively was betting all evening lengthy, on a regular basis,” Bowyer advised the outlet. “I’ve by no means seen something prefer it. $100,000 on a draw, Ukraine vs. Turkey. $100,000 on Saudi Arabia.”
Mizuhara is serving a 57-month sentence after pleading responsible earlier this 12 months.
