Exclusive | Matthew Bowyer, bookie for Shohei Ohtanis ex-interpreter, says half of pro athletes are betting on sports
Matthew Bowyer, a bookmaker for Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, said he felt guilty for not stopping the interpreter from betting over his head and took action from Pete Rose in an exclusive Post interview.This is the first time Bowyer has spoken to the media.Former Ohtani Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is facing a Feb.6 sentencing in a Southern California federal court.
Prosecutors are seeking 57 months and three years of supervised release and for him to pay back the roughly $17 million he allegedly stole from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar.Mizuhara is asking for an 18-month sentence.The 49-year-old Bowyer himself faces an April 4 sentencing date.
He pled guilty in August 2024 for illegally taking sports bets, money laundering and filing a false tax return.Coincidentally, that’s Bowyer’s birthday.“It was very obvious he was stealing money and not asking Ohtani for permission,” Bowyer told The Post explaining that Mizuhara bet through his sports betting site before stopping around January 2024.The interpreter allegedly would pretend he was Ohtani when calling banks to get the star’s money.Mizuhara, for a stretch, wired Bowyer $500,000 every two weeks.“He never acted as if the dollar amounts impacted him for one second.
He was so polite and so respectful,” Bowyer said.The Department of Justice said Bowyer’s unlawful business used several Costa Rica-based websites and a call center so customers could place and track bets.Bowyer said he never asked Mizuhara if some of those bets he was making were for Ohtani.MLB investigated the case and concluded that Ohtani was not making illegal bets.“Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that was made public, the information MLB collected, and the criminal proceeding being resolved without being contested, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani a victim of fraud and this matter has been closed,” MLB in June 2024 said.Prosecutors said Mizuhara made at least 19,000 wagers between September 2021 and ...