Days After Alleging Shohei Ohtani’s Involvement, Ippei Mizuhara’s Bookie Makes $24M Confession

It all traces back to San Diego in 2021, when Ippie Mizuhara met California bookmaker Mathew Bowyer for the first time. Soon after that meeting, Mizuhara, who was Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, began placing bets with Bowyer. The bookmaker reportedly took at least 19,000 bets from Mizuhara, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison after pleading guilty to stealing $17 million from the Dodgers star to pay off illegal gambling debts. After Mizuhara’s arrest, it seemed like this scandal had finally been put to rest. However, Bowyer’s latest admissions prove otherwise.

Bowyer, who was sentenced to one year and one day in prison, in a recent interview, revealed that Shohei Ohtani himself might not be as far removed as the public has been led to believe.

While clarifying that Shohei Ohtani never placed bets, Bowyer said, “I do believe that Shohei Ohtani was aware of Ippei’s either gambling or borrowing money or using some of his funds.” Earlier, the prosecutors made it clear that Ohtani was an innocent victim of Mizuhara’s actions. There was no proof he knew about or took part in any illegal gambling.

While speaking with ESPN, he further added, “Once I tapped Mizuhara, at $24 million, that figure was in my brain because that’s technically what I was still owed. That number is where I drew a line, which is a really ridiculous number. I didn’t know where to stop it.” As Mizuhara’s losses piled up, Bowyer began noticing troubling signs. “He was running into financial problems for sure. It was getting a little tougher to get the wire transfers. That’s when I knew there was more to the story.” The courtroom also saw another layer of dispute play out.

Apparently, as per prosecutors, Mizuhara was scared for his life as the debts mounted. When Bowyer was asked about it, he dismissed that claim outright, calling it a fabrication. “That’s complete bull—-. There’s no chance he was ever afraid for his life.” Bowyer was not ready to believe that. But after his prison sentence, we are potentially just a step away from putting this entire scandal in the rear-view mirror.

Bowyer makes a Shohei Ohtani admission amidst his multi-year gambling scheme

As per Court documents, Mathew Bowyer ran an illegal sports betting operation in California for at least five years. He violated state law, and his business at times had over 700 active bettors at once. Moreover, between December 2021 and January 2024, Mizuhara made at least 19,000 bets, losing nearly $41 million.

Prosecutors noted in the sentencing memorandum that Bowyer’s crimes were not a one-time thing. If anything, they were a multi-year scheme that made millions. It allowed him and his associates to live extravagantly by exploiting people who were addicted to gambling or overextending themselves financially.

He finally admitted to U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb on Friday that he was “remorseful” for all that he’s done. Apparently, Bowyer could have faced a longer sentence. However, prosecutors believe his assistance helped authorities obtain convictions against Mizuhara, hence he received a lighter sentence.

Most importantly, initial confusion surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s involvement has come to an end. All the involved parties—Bowyer, Mizuhara, the IRS, the DOJ, and MLB have unanimously concluded that Ohtani was an innocent victim. “Shohei Ohtani doesn’t deserve to have any negative connotation to his name,” Bowyer said.