Prosecutors involved with the case surrounding the baseball star, Shohei Ohtani, and his interpreter, who stole $17 million to pay off his gambling debts, are seeking a more lenient sentence for the bookkeeper involved.
Ohtani, a baseball star for the Los Angeles Dodgers, had $17 million stolen from him by his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, to pay off gambling debts.
A quick clip from my interview with Shohei Ohtani's Interpreter's Bookie, Mathew Bowyer. This is less than one minute of an incredible interview. No script and no rules for a man set to be sentenced on 8/29/25. I will be posting the full interview next week @WeAreExclaim follow… pic.twitter.com/lBqFaIDyzC
— Dan Real (@danreal21) August 17, 2025
Now, Mathew Bowyer, who facilitated the large-scale bets and laundered some of the cash through Resorts World in Las Vegas, could be getting off lighter than expected. This is in part thanks to his admission of fault, including the operation of an illegal gambling ring, money laundering, and even avoiding his taxes.
According to the court document, he had left off $4 million from his income tax. Despite the list of crimes, his sentence is being reduced due to his assistance to the government. Originally expected to receive up to 51 months in prison, the current documents argue for Bowyer to only serve 15 months. As well as helping out the feds, Bowyer has no criminal history on record.
Ohtani interpreter’s bookie said he looks like a “rat”
In the Nevada Current, Bowyer said on Monday that he looked like “a rat”, but claims to have never directly cooperated against other bookkeepers involved. His phone was taken, which had all the conversation and information that the prosecutors needed. However, he did attempt to incriminate Resorts World Las Vegas executives and hosts who helped facilitate parts of the embezzlement.
Shohei Ohtani crushes his 44th home run 💪 pic.twitter.com/COf7roPmyA
— MLB (@MLB) August 20, 2025
Speaking with the Current, a government source and high roller, Robert Cipriani said:
“I met with Matt Bowyer over a year ago, and he said he told his lawyer he wasn’t giving up his players or his friends, just the dirty casino executives.”
In the aftermath, MGM was fined $7.45 million and had to pay up $8.5 million to regulators in Nevada. Resorts World, however, was fined $10.5 million. Bowyer is expected to be sentenced next month.
Featured image: Mathew Bowyer via Instagram
