Fans cry “biggest cover up” as Shohei Ohtani former interpreter’s bookie Matthew Bowyer gets hit with prison sentence in betting scandal

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was at the center of a gambling scandal at the start of the Japanese two-way phenom's Dodgers tenure.

Mathew Bowyer, a Southern California bookmaker, who took bets from Mizuhara and others, pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and filing a false tax return last year.

Bowyer was sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison on Friday and has been ordered to pay $1,613,280 in restitution.

MLB fans reacted to the news on social media with several fans alleging Bowyer's sentence a "cover up."

"Biggest cover up in league history," wrote a fan.

"How much do you think the Dodgers paid him to take the fall?"wrote another fan.

"I wonder how much he got paid to take that fall? Payday for him when he's out," alleged another fan.

A fan joked about Ohtani's tenure with the Los Angeles Angels as a prison sentence for the three-time MVP.

"Ohtani's already served six years in Anaheim, he should be off the hook," joked a fan.

"When does Ohtani get sentenced?" Asked another fan.

Shohei Ohtani was cleared of any wrongdoing with his former interpreter and friend Ippei Mizuhara admitting to placing bets and stealing nearly $17 million from the Dodgers player. Mizuhara reportedly racked up a net loss of $40.7 million on betting and stole from Ohtani's bank account to pay the debt.

Mizuhara was sentenced to five years in prison for bank and tax fraud and stealing from Ohtani earlier this year.

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara's bookie got reduced sentence

Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara's bookie, Matthew Bowyer, has also been ordered to surrender $257,923 in U.S. currency and $14,830 in casino chips.

Bowyer expressed regret over his actions after his hearing on Friday.

"When you do a crime, you've got to do the time. So at the end of the day, I was doing something illegal and my message has never changed from Day 1. My children are here. Everyone who cares about me is here, and if you do something wrong, you can't enjoy all the perks and all the good things, all the illegal activities you're doing and then not expect something to happen."

According to reports, the probation officials had recommended a three-year sentence for Bowyer. However, the court ordered a reduced sentence as the bookmaker acknowledged his crimes and cooperated in the investigation.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash