Several weeks after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, poker player Damien Leforbes made an initial court appearance on Monday for charges of running an illegal sports betting operation.
Last month, Leforbes entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors in connection with a sweeping probe into Southern California's illicit sports betting market. Leforbes, according to multiple sources, is connected with Matt Bowyer, a bookmaker who allegedly accepted hundreds of millions in wagers from Shohei Ohtani’s former translator.
Beyond the sports betting charges, the prominent poker player has also been charged with transactional money laundering related to his activities with an unnamed casino. While Leforbes did not plead guilty at Monday’s arraignment, he is expected to do so at a change of plea hearing at a later date.
The arraignment took place inside a courtroom at the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building, a Los Angeles edifice that has served as the scene for several hearings during the longstanding investigation. Leforbes appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Charles F. Eick, who set a $50,000 bond.
Next Steps
The interlocking cases have received widespread media coverage since the Los Angeles Dodgers fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s ex-interpreter, in March. At the time, Mizuhara admitted to embezzling funds from the star outfielder to repay his sports gambling debts. Mizuhara, who pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud in June, allegedly stole more than $16 million from Ohtani, the current favorite for National League MVP.
According to court files, Mizuhara placed more than 19,000 wagers with a bookmaker believed to be Bowyer. While Mizuhara accumulated winning bets of $142.3 million, the amount was offset by losses of $182.9 million, producing a net loss of $40.6 million. Ohtani has been cleared by Major League Baseball, which considers him a victim of the massive theft.
Bowyer, meanwhile, pleaded guilty in August to operating an illegal gambling business, transactional money laundering and filing a false tax return. Bowyer, whose ring allegedly contained more than 700 clients, ran the operations for at least five years, according to prosecutors. The bookmaker is scheduled to be sentenced in February.
Damien “DJ” Leforbes, who appeared sometimes on Hustler Casino Live, has pled guilty to money laundering and illegal bookmaking, in relation to the Matt Bowyer case.
Bowyer was the bookie who took bets from Ippei, who used Shohei Ohtani’s stolen money.https://t.co/IyGPvVokCspic.twitter.com/PEy824HDkb
— Todd Witteles (@ToddWitteles) August 28, 2024
During a 17-month period through October 2023, Bowyer lost approximately $7.9 million at Resorts World Las Vegas (RWLV), according to ESPN. Less than a week after Bowyer’s plea hearing, the Nevada Gaming Control Board filed a 12-count complaint against RWLV, a multi-billion casino property on the north end of the Las Vegas strip.
The complaint stems from the casino’s apparent anti-money laundering failures related to its dealings with Bowyer and several other illegal bookmakers. Resorts World Las Vegas has not been criminally charged in the matter.
Leforbes, a participant on the broadcast "Poker After Dark," entered into the plea agreement in August, days before the first full week of the college football season. Leforbes, according to the agreement, wagered more than $148 million at a venue identified in court filings as "Casino A." In addition, he allegedly used numerous cryptocurrency wallets to receive money from his betting clients and to pay winning bettors, according to court records.
Other Key Dates in the Investigation
Multiple sources have identified "Casino A" as RWLV, according to ESPN. When asked by Action Network if Resorts World Las Vegas is in fact the casino in question, a spokesperson declined to comment.
However, Leforbes allegedly racked up more than $12 million in gambling losses at the casino, the Nevada Current reported earlier this year. RWLV also turned over a $2.5 million bad check from Leforbes to prosecutors, according to the newspaper.
Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California did not release a statement following Monday’s arraignment. David Chesnoff, an attorney for Leforbes, did not respond to a request from Action Network for comment.
Mizuhara is facing more than 30 years in prison at next month's sentencing, but he will likely receive substantially less time. Separately, bookmaker Wayne Nix is scheduled to be sentenced next March, a spokesman for the Central District told Action Network this week.
The sentencing of Nix has been delayed several times since he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business in April 2022. Though the full extent of their association is unknown, representatives from Bowyer’s Gambling Business placed multiple wagers with Nix, according to a source who spoke to Action Network on the condition of anonymity.
The federal government is seeking permission to seize the baseball cards of Ippei Mizuhara, the interpreter who pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from Los Angeles Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani. https://t.co/Zkdfkt9fa5
— Bloomberg Law (@BLaw) September 17, 2024
Earlier this spring, a federal judge sentenced former MGM Grand President Scott Sibella to probation in connection with his failure to file a suspicious transaction report, pursuant to the Bank Secrecy Act. The charge stemmed from Sibella’s association with Nix, an illegal bookmaker and former minor league baseball player.
Sibella was named president of Resorts World Las Vegas in 2019, shortly after leaving his position with MGM Grand. Last September, RWLV terminated Sibella for violations of company policy.
