Matthew Bowyer, a bookmaker for Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, mentioned he felt responsible for not stopping the interpreter from betting over his head and took motion from Pete Rose in an unique Submit interview.
That is the primary time Bowyer has spoken to the media.
Former Ohtani Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara is going through a Feb. 6 sentencing in a Southern California federal courtroom. Prosecutors are searching for 57 months and three years of supervised launch and for him to pay again the roughly $17 million he allegedly stole from the Los Angeles Dodgers famous person. Mizuhara is asking for an 18-month sentence.
The 49-year-old Bowyer himself faces an April 4 sentencing date. He pled responsible in August 2024 for illegally taking sports activities bets, cash laundering and submitting 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 instructed The Submit explaining that Mizuhara guess via his sports activities betting web site earlier than stopping round January 2024.
The interpreter allegedly would faux he was Ohtani when calling banks to get the star’s cash.
Mizuhara, for a stretch, wired Bowyer $500,000 each two weeks.
“He never acted as if the dollar amounts impacted him for one second. He was so polite and so respectful,” Bowyer mentioned.
The Division of Justice mentioned Bowyer’s illegal enterprise used a number of Costa Rica-based web sites and a name heart so clients might place and monitor bets.
Bowyer mentioned he by no means requested Mizuhara if a few of these bets he was making have been for Ohtani.
MLB investigated the case and concluded that Ohtani was not making unlawful 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 mentioned.
Prosecutors mentioned Mizuhara made no less than 19,000 wagers between September 2021 and January 2024, via Bowyer.
“During this period, Mizuhara had total winning bets of at least $142,256,769, and total losing bets of at least $182,935,206, leaving Mizuhara owing approximately $40,678,436. On a regular basis during this period, Bowyer would increase Mizuhara’s betting limits,” the Division of Justice mentioned.
Bowyer instructed The Submit he requested Mizuhara concerning the cash he was constantly shedding.
“I asked him if he was OK,” Bowyer mentioned. “He said, ‘I’m just terrible at this.’ I would try to control him a little bit.”
“I truly believe he had a massive gambling addiction problem.”
From February 2022 to January 2024, Bowyer directed Mizuhara to make funds of no less than $16.25 million to Bowyer-controlled financial institution accounts, all of which have been proceeds of Bowyer’s unlawful playing enterprise, the Division of Justice mentioned.
Bowyer mentioned regardless of his issues he didn’t minimize off Mizuhara due to his greed.
“I was in my own gambling addiction, going to Vegas [from his San Juan Capistrano, California home] and betting millions of dollars.”
“I was driving my Rolls [Royce] and Lamborghini.”
Bowyer transferred or directed the switch of least $9.3 million from Mizuhara to a on line casino within the type of wire transfers as fee for markers for Bowyer and his associates, the DOJ mentioned.
“Now, I feel guilty because I feel I was part of it,” Bowyer mentioned referring to Mizuhara’s downfall.
The DOJ mentioned Bowyer additionally took bets from then-current and former skilled athletes.
Bowyer for the primary time is saying this contains MLB’s all-time hit chief Pete Rose, who died in September.
“Rose just loved the action,” Bowyer mentioned when he began taking Charlie Hustle’s sports activities bets round 2004 when Rose was dwelling in Las Vegas.
“He was absolutely compulsive. No question.”
Actually, he mentioned when Rose began betting greater than his $1,000 a sport common after just a few years he minimize him off.
“I wasn’t an angel but I wanted to keep my customer from blowing his brains out,” Bowyer mentioned.
MLB banned Rose completely in 1989 for allegedly betting on Cincinnati Reds sport whereas he managed and performed for the workforce.
Bowyer mentioned he believes about half of present skilled athletes guess on sports activities.
“I know some of them are still betting on sports,” he mentioned.
“If 50 percent are gambling, I would think 10 percent of those are compulsive gamblers.”
Nonetheless, he mentioned he believes lower than 3 p.c guess on their very own sport.
Bowyer doesn’t assume skilled video games are fastened, and was stunned to listen to final week concerning the federal investigation into NBA participant Terry Rozier.
“I was very surprised because he’s filthy rich and usually the people that tend to be doing these things aren’t on $90 million contracts,” Bowyer mentioned.
Bowyer has 5 youngsters, together with two who aren’t but adults, and is hoping he will get probation and never jail time.
He’s no longer allowed in casinos and mentioned he’s making his cash by promoting AstroTurf.
“It’s very hard to stay clean when you go from having dopamine rushes and betting $1 million on a football game to having zero income,” Bowyer mentioned.
“The first thing you want to do is gamble.”
He mentioned he’s planning to self-publish a guide on his experiences quickly after his sentencing.
