The bookie allegedly involved in Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter’s downfall has been on the federal government’s radar for at least five years, Sports Handle reported on Thursday.
Matt Bowyer, the alleged bookmaker, reportedly took in $4.5 million in payments for what Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara says are his sports gambling debts. The money, however, came from Ohtani’s bank account.
Initially, Ohtani’s representatives said the two-way superstar was willingly paying off his friend’s debts. Then, a day later, those same representatives said Mizuhara stole the money.
“In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft and we are turning the matter over to the authorities,” the law firm representing Ohtani, Berk Brettler, said in a statement.
A text message to Mizuhara by the Action Network yielded no response on Wednesday.
Mizuhara is alleged to have lost the $4.5 million betting on college football, the NBA, the NFL and soccer matches. He emphasized that he did not bet on baseball and that Ohtani was not involved in the betting operation at all.
The alleged bookmaker Bowyer is purported to have been associated with Wayne Nix, a bookmaker who pled guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business. Mizuhara said he met Bowyer at a poker game in San Diego in 2021.
Nix, a former minor leaguer with the Oakland A’s farm systerm, allegedly had other clients throughout the sports and entertainment ecosystem, including Michael Jordan, Maverick Carter, Yasiel Puig.
Carter’s interview with interrogators was recently publicized, in which he stated LeBron James was not involved in betting with the operation in any way.
And Puig pled guilty to lying to federal agents about his association with the illegal betting operation in 2022. He paid a fine of $55,000.
Mizuhara wasn't just an interpreter to Ohtani — he was a crucial member of his entourage. Mizuhara would drive him to and from games, provide advice on career decisions and serve as his main point of contact throughout the baseball season. Mizuhara — who grew up in neighboring Diamond Bar — would even sometimes cook meals for Ohtani.
Mizuhara and Ohtani’s relationship dates back to when the two-way star was 18-years-old as a rookie in Japan and blossomed into a nearly 12-year partnership.
When Ohtani decided to make the leap to MLB, he made it clear that Mizuhara be a part of his transition.
The Dodgers fired Mizuhara on Wednesday.
