Mathew Bowyer begins serving prison sentence in gambling case

Early in 2024, the name of the star Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player, Shohei Ohtani, was involved in a massive gambling scandal. Despite media speculations, Ohtani's name was cleared of any allegations as an investigation uncovered that his former interpreter and long-time friend, Ippei Mizuhara, stole money from the star player to use for online gambling.

The lengthy investigation also identified that Mathew Bowyer, an Orange County man, accepted nearly 20,000 bets from Mizuhara. For their involvement, both Mizuhara and Bowyer recently received sentences. Still, many sports fans and bettors alike are interested in what was Mathew Bowyer sentence and involvement in the massive gambling scandal.

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole from the star player

The gambling scandal that would result in court sentencing for Mathew Bowyer and Ippei Mizuhara was first uncovered in March 2024. At the time, the latter was fired from the Los Angeles Dodgers amid allegations for "massive theft."

As the entire picture wasn't clear at the time, some media outlets speculated that Shohei Ohtani was somehow involved in unlawful gambling activities. However, an investigation uncovered that the Major League Baseball (MLB) star player's good name was tainted in vain.

After details regarding the scandal started to emerge, it became clear that Shohei Ohtani was, in fact, the victim of the whole ordeal. This is because his long-term Japanese interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who was also his friend and helped the star operate his finances, stole from Ohtani.

Court documents reveal that Mizuhara used the services of an illegal bookmaker between September 2021 and January 2024, placing a mind-blowing 19,000 bets. During this time, the ex-interpreter's winning bets hit an estimated $142m, while his total losses were at least $182.9m.

Mathew Bowyer operated an unlicensed, illegal bookmaking business

Overall, Ippei Mizuhara had nearly $41m in gambling debt due to his relentless betting. To cover those losses, the former interpreter would later on admit to stealing nearly $17m from Shohei Ohtani. Notably, the investigation helped clear the name of the Dodgers star player, who wasn't involved in any gambling activities.

But what was Mathew Bowyer's role? While investigating the case, the authorities found that Bowyer operated an illegal gambling business from California and Nevada. Through this unlicensed and illegal bookmaking business, Bowyer accepted more than 19,000 bets from Mizuhara.

An investigation by Homeland Security and IRS Criminal Investigation into Bowyer's gambling business ultimately resulted in a prison sentence and restitution. Not unexpectedly, Mizuhara was also imprisoned for his actions.

Betting via Mathew Bowyer, Ippei Mizuhara, who stole money from Shohei Ohtani, constantly raised the limits set by Bowyer. However, Mathew Bowyer has repeatedly confirmed that he was unaware of Mizuhara's unlawful actions but suspected the interpreter placed bets for or along with Ohtani.

Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer court sentencing

It didn't take long for Mizuhara and Bowyer to plead guilty after shocking details regarding the illegal gambling business emerged. For his part, transferring nearly $17m from the account belonging to Shohei Ohtani without authorization, Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California confirmed on February 6, 2025.

The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge John W. Holcomb, who also ordered Mizuhara to pay $16,975,010 in restitution to Shohei Ohtani and pay $1,149,400 in restitution to the IRS. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return in June 2024.

Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally said that Mizuhara held "a unique position of trust that gave him power, brought him fame, and paid him well." Moreover, McNally pointed out: "Unfortunately, he exploited this dream job to steal millions of dollars from his friend and confidant. This is a sad tale of an American success story gone wrong – so wrong that Mr. Mizuhara will be spending years inside a prison cell."

On the other hand, Mathew Bowyer, who operated as an illegal bookmaker, pleaded guilty in August 2024, admitting to one count of operating an unlawful gambling business, one count of subscribing to a false tax return and one count of money laundering.

An investigation into Bowyer's illegal gambling business uncovered that it operated for at least five years until October 2023. At its busiest period, the illegal bookmaker had more than 700 customers, the court said. Mathew Bowyer's gambling operation involved agents and sub-agents, a call center and a Costa Rica-based website.

Late in August 2025, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, confirmed the sentence of the Orange County man. The Mathew Bowyer sentencing represented a major milestone in the ongoing criminal case.

United States District Judge John W. Holcomb sentenced Bowyer to 12 months and one day in federal prison for operating as an illegal bookmaker. Besides the prison term, the Orange County man was ordered to pay $1,613,280 in restitution.

Despite media speculations about gambling by Shohei Ohtani, the investigation into Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer's actions proved that the MLB star player didn't gamble.

Who is Mathew Bowyer wife

As the massive gambling case captured media attention, public interest in Mathew Bowyer wife increased. Unlike Bowyer, there's little public information about his wife, Nicole Bowyer. In an Instagram post from November 20, 2024, Bowyer praised the support of his loving wife even through difficulties such as the investigation and his involvement in the landmark illegal gambling scandal.

At the time, Mathew Bowyer wrote: "My wife has been my unwavering rock through every storm life has thrown our way." The 50-year-old man, who received a prison sentence for illegal gambling, added: "In the darkest hours, when the weight of the world felt unbearable, she has stood steadfast beside me, her strength lifting me when I couldn’t stand on my own."

Moreover, Bowyer wrote: "Through every trial, she has been my safe haven, my backbone, and my greatest source of courage. Her love has been the constant that has carried me through, proving that together, there’s no obstacle too great to overcome."

In a heartwarming video released earlier this month, Bowyer spoke about the hardest day of his life - the day he walked into prison. "Today is the hardest day of my life—walking into prison. But I hold my head high. I’m ready to keep growing, keep learning, and keep striving to be better," Mathew Bowyer wrote. Another video posted on Instagram shows Bowyer being escorted to prison.

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