Illegal bookmaker linked to MLB star’s translator sentenced to prison

SANTA ANA, Calif. — Mathew Bowyer, the illegal bookmaker who collected millions of dollars taking sports bets from Shohei Ohtani’s former translator and de facto manager, was sentenced Friday to 12 months and a day in prison.

The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Judge John Holcomb, was less than the term of 15 months recommended by prosecutors.

Bowyer also will serve two years of supervised probation and must submit to regular drug and alcohol testing and pay $1.6 million plus interest owed to the Internal Revenue Service.

Bowyer, 50, who pleaded guilty last year to federal charges of running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return, took sports bets from an estimated 700 gamblers, including Ippei Mizuhara, who was sentenced to four years in prison in February for stealing an estimated $17 million from Ohtani, a superstar hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bowyer received what’s considered a light sentence because he had no previous criminal history, paid restitution of more than $1.6 million and provided prosecutors with evidence leading them to other illegal gamblers.

During the 80-minute sentencing hearing on the ninth floor of the Ronald Reagan Federal Building, Bowyer’s attorney, Diane Bass, tried to convince Holcomb that Bowyer was a changed man and that it would serve no purpose to imprison him when he could do more good publicly speaking on the evils of compulsive gambling behavior.

Packed gallery

The courthouse gallery was packed with reporters and many friends and family of Bowyer, including his wife and daughter. At one point, the public was asked to raise hands if they were there to support Bowyer and nearly every hand went up.

Bass characterized Bowyer’s misdeeds as victimless crimes because she said everyone who placed bets with Bowyer knew the risks and knew what they were doing.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Williams and, ultimately, the judge said the IRS was a victim because Bowyer failed to report income he received from his illegal enterprise.

Bass said Bowyer has already paid back most of what he owed the government and that in most tax cases the government never gets any of what’s owed to them. Bowyer still must pay tens of thousands of dollars in accrued interest on the tax debt he owed, but Holcomb waived most fines in the case.

In a news conference following the sentencing hearing, Bowyer apologized to Mizuhara, Ohtani and family members he believes he let down.

“I’ll just deal with the consequences and be a better human, move forward, be a better father,” he said. “The guilt that I have for being away from my wife and my kids is something I’ll have to live with. I wasn’t thinking about that when I was flying on a private jet or taking these lavish trips, so that’s the choices that I made.”

Bowyer, who acts against the advice of his attorney whenever he speaks publicly about his case, said when he’s released from prison in October 2026, he intends to become a motivational speaker talking about addictive behavior. He said that his father was an alcoholic and a brother was recently released from prison after abusing drugs.

Asked what he would say to Mizuhara if he had the opportunity, Bowyer said, “I would love to give him a hug and say, I’m sorry that you’re dealing with the situation you’re in.”

Tarnished name

Asked what he would want to say to Ohtani, Bowyer said, “I would tell him that I’m sorry that his name now has a slight tarnish to it, just being involved in this case. The fact that his name (is mentioned), even though he’s overcome that adversity and had the best season of his lifetime last year, and is almost doing it again this year. I applaud him because at the end of the day, he’s an innocent guy just playing baseball and performing at the highest level. And he got drawn into this, which is a terrible thing because he’s an amazing person and player.”

Bowyer recruited agents and customers as a frequent player at Resorts World Las Vegas, which was fined $10.5 million in March by the Nevada Gaming Commission for allowing gamblers tied to illegal bookmaking to play there.

Bowyer is expected to report to a prison camp in Lompoc, California, on Oct. 10. In recent weeks, he has been making the rounds as a podcast and radio guest talking about his case and promoting a book he recently self-published, “Recalibrate,” which details his high-rolling lifestyle and illegal activities and admits to being “a degenerate gambler” who started taking bets as a teenager, surrounded by addictive behavior while growing up.

Bowyer’s wife, Nicole, also is expected to be disciplined by the Nevada Gaming Commission for her role as an independent agent for Resorts World.

In January, the commission delayed a decision on a complaint brought in August 2024 against Nicole Bowyer because commissioners wanted to see her hit with stiffer penalties than proposed in a stipulation for settlement. Commissioners separately said they wanted to see Nicole Bowyer fined or possibly have her agent status revoked for life.

Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.