Sports figure tied to Resorts World Las Vegas and former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani receives a year-long sentence

In a court hearing earlier this week, Mathew Bowyer, a bookmaker from San Juan Capistrano, California, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison for running an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and filing a false tax return. The penalty comes after Bowyer's case drew international attention due to his client, Ippei Mizuhara, the former Japanese language interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani.

Federal prosecutors had sought a 15-month prison sentence for Bowyer, who was accused of handling millions in bets and implicating Ohtani's interpreter in a scheme that placed hundreds of millions of dollars in bets and netted thousands of dollars a day. However, the government of Nevada imposed a $10.5 million penalty on Bowyer, likely as part of a legal settlement or cooperation agreement that led to a recommended sentence reduction.

Bowyer has a gambling addiction and has expressed remorse for his actions. During the hearing, he stated, "I am remorseful. I have made many poor choices in my life." Bowyer also spoke with prosecutors and baseball officials to clear Ohtani's name, apologising for involving him in the case.

U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb was impressed by Bowyer's efforts but felt some prison time was necessary due to the tax fraud. Bowyer has already paid $1.6 million in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

The league's gambling policy prohibits players and team employees from wagering on baseball, even legally, and bans betting on other sports with illegal or offshore bookmakers. Bowyer was running an illegal gambling business in Southern California and Las Vegas, taking wagers from over 700 bettors, including Mizuhara.

Mizuhara's winnings totaled over $142 million, which he deposited in his own bank account, while his losing bets were around $183 million - a net loss of nearly $41 million. Mizuhara was sentenced to five years in prison for bank and tax fraud.

The Resorts World Casino on the Las Vegas strip was fined $10.5 million due to its ties to illegal bookmaking, as a result of the case against Bowyer. Prosecutor Kristen Williams emphasised that Bowyer's clients, many of whom were gambling addicts, were also victims in the case.

Bowyer's attorney, Diane Bass, stated that the sentence is less than the three years recommended by probation officials because of Bowyer's cooperation, restitution payment, public acknowledgement of crimes, and efforts to help others with addiction. Bowyer is expected to report for his sentence on Oct. 10 and will later be subjected to two years of supervised release.

It's important to note that sports gambling is illegal in California, while most states and the District of Columbia allow some form of it. Bowyer's case serves as a reminder of the consequences of illegal gambling and the importance of adhering to the rules and regulations in place.

Sports figure tied to Resorts World Las Vegas and former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani receives a year-long sentence