As the MLB Playoffs kick into high gear this month, Mathew Bowyer will spend the first two weeks of October on vacation in Europe.
A federal judge in Bowyer’s case approved a motion that allowed the bookmaker to travel to Italy for a celebration of his father-in-law’s 70th birthday.
The illegal bookmaker, who allegedly took millions in action from Shohei Ohtani’s ex interpreter, is awaiting sentencing on several charges in February. Despite striking a plea agreement with prosecutors in August, Bowyer received permission to travel to Europe this week.
Bowyer pleaded guilty this summer to operating an illegal gambling business, transactional money laundering and filing a false tax return. Ippei Mizuhara, Bowyer’s top client, placed more than $315 million in wagers with the illicit sports betting ring.
Last month, U.S. District Court Judge John W. Holcomb moved Mizuhara’s sentencing hearing to Dec. 20 in Southern California. Mizuhara, the former interpreter and longtime confidant of Ohtani, is facing a multi-year prison sentence.
Cooperation With The Feds
Holcomb, who is also presiding over Bowyer’s case, granted the defendant’s motion in August for the two-week trip. The order permits Bowyer to travel to Italy from Oct. 1 through Oct. 11 when he's scheduled to return to the U.S.
Attorneys for Bowyer made the request to enable him to attend a birthday party this week in Florence. Nicole Bowyer, the wife of the bookmaker, served as Bowyer’s casino host at Resorts World Las Vegas, according to a Nevada Gaming Control Board complaint.
Bowyer’s wife is not facing criminal charges, according to Diane Bass, his attorney.
Matt Bowyer – the bookie for Ippei Mizuhara (Ohtani’s former interpreter) – just pleaded guilty to three charges in a federal court today. To read details of the case against him (and Mizuhara) and how he got here, read our full report here: https://t.co/cKUD0fNVorpic.twitter.com/5ebUTCy1Jv
— Tisha Thompson (@TishaESPN) August 9, 2024
Holcomb approved a separate motion this week to allow Bowyer to travel to Turkey for the final leg of the trip. Under the motion, Bowyer made a request to travel to Turkey next Monday for the final five days of his trip.
Before leaving the U.S., Bowyer provided his itinerary to the court's pretrial services division. Once he arrives back in California, Bowyer will submit his passport to authorities within 48 hours of his return, according to the motion.
Described as one of the nation’s largest bettor-bookmakers, Bowyer admitted in his plea agreement that he received $4,030,938 of unreported income in 2022.
As part of the agreement, Bowyer agreed to cooperate with numerous law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO).
Defendant further agrees to cooperate fully with the USAO, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division, and, as directed by the USAO, any other federal, state, local, or foreign prosecuting, enforcement, administrative, or regulatory authority. This cooperation requires defendant to: Respond truthfully and completely to all questions that may be put to defendant, whether in interviews, before a grand jury, or at any trial or other court proceeding.
–Bowyer plea agreement, 2024
Bowyer’s trip to Europe provides strong indications that federal authorities do not deem him a flight risk. By comparison, Long Phi Pham, a co-conspirator in a match fixing scheme involving Jontay Porter, was arrested in June while attempting to board a one-way flight to Australia.
Attorneys for Pham claimed he planned to attend a poker tournament in the nation. Pham is scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday.
Ohtani’s Playoff Debut
Bowyer will be out of the country during the heart of the MLB playoffs. Bowyer’s Gambling Business, which spanned numerous states, specialized in baseball wagering, according to a source with direct knowledge of his operations.
Ohtani, who joined the Angels in 2019, has never made an appearance in the MLB postseason. Ohtani, the heavy favorite for National League MVP, is set to make his playoff debut for the Dodgers on Saturday.
Ohtani was questioned by federal authorities after Mizuhara admitted to stealing millions from him to feed a gambling habit. All told, Mizuhara is accused of embezzling at least $16 million from Ohtani to repay his sports betting debts.
According to court filings, Mizuhara has net losses of $40.2 million with a bookmaker presumed to be Bowyer. Ohtani is considered to be a victim of fraud by Major League Baseball.
Shohei Ohtani's father published an open letter in Japan congratulating his son for his historic 50-50 season, as well as crediting his daughter-in-law Mamiko Tanaka for helping Shohei get through the Ippei Mizuhara scandal. https://t.co/YPyQwyHIMR
— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) September 28, 2024
The Dodgers, who finished an MLB-best 98-64 in the regular season, have been installed as the +350 World Series favorites at DraftKings. Ohtani is also the +800 favorite to win World Series MVP, ahead of Bryce Harper and Mookie Betts at +1200 and +1500, respectively.
Based on federal sentencing guidelines, Bowyer could theoretically receive a prison sentence of approximately 18 years. But since he agreed to cooperate with federal authorities, the sentence may be reduced to a range of 30 to 37 months, Bass noted this summer.
