Top Trending: Bookie Bowyer Seeks Leniency
An Orange County man plead guilty earlier this month to federal criminal charges for running an illegal gambling business that took in unlawful sports bets, including from then-current and former professional athletes as well as a former Major League Baseball (MLB) Japanese-language interpreter currently facing prison time.
Mathew R. Bowyer, 49, of San Juan Capistrano, has agreed to plead guilty to a three-count information charging him with operating an unlawful gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return.
Bowyer faces up to 18 years in prison but would likely only face 37 months behind bars.
Be sure to claim your 100 percent welcome bonus at BetAmapola here
His defense attorney Diane Bass is arguing for leniency in this matter, hoping to get the sentenced reduced even further.
A document was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California noting that Bowyer has no prior legal trouble and expressed a willingness to cooperate in this matter. She described her client as a “gambling addict” who “has faced his demons" and is seeking house arrest as well as time served.
Article Continues Below..
Gambling911 Trending Stories Over Last 24 Hours August 19 (77,849 Impressions Last 24 Hours)
- (Little League World Series) 2025 Little League World Series Bracket Championship Payout Odds (24507 impressions, down from 24959 impressions)
- (UFC) What Are the Payout Odds if Dricus Du Plessis Wins vs. Khamzat Chimaev UFC 319 (9935 impressions, down from 28202 impressions)
- (Crime - New) Top Trending: Bet365 Influencer Arrested (6658 impressions)
- (College Football) Iowa State vs. Kansas State Scoring Prop Bets, Winning Margin of Victory Payout Odds - 2025 Week 0 (2815 impressions)
- (MLB New) Will the Brewers vs. Cubs Game 2 Be Postponed August 18? What Happens to My Bet? (2086 impressions)
- (WNBA) New Betting Market: Color of Next Dildo Thrown on Floor at a WNBA Game (2048 impressions)
- (UFC) What Are the Payout Odds if Jared Cannonier Wins Against Michael Page UFC 319? (1865 impressions, down from 12036 impressions)
These Are your Hot Trending Topics LIVE at Gambling911
- little league world series odds
- llws odds
- ufc 319 odds
- dricus vs khamzat odds
- fairfield little league
- jared cannonier
- terry mclaurin news
- gambling 911
- mazi vs in jail
“We should not measure justice by the number of calendar pages that turn,” Bass wrote. “Instead, we should look at how hard a person works to reconcile with society, make amends, and prepare to live as a law-biding citizen.
“Most striking, is the love and support Mr. Bowyer has continued to receive throughout this process,” Bass wrote of her client’s letters of support. “He has the undying love of his family and so many friends who support him and are there for him with whatever he needs.”
The 50-year-old father of five admitted to wrongdoing.
“I was running a big operation,” Bowyer has previously stated. “I knew the risks. I have to be a man and deal with it.”
According to his plea agreement, Bowyer operated an unlicensed and illegal bookmaking business that focused on sports betting and violated a California law that prohibits bookmaking. Bowyer’s gambling business remained in operation for at least five years until October 2023 and at times had more than 700 bettors.
He operated this business out of various locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties as well as in Las Vegas. Bowyer also employed agents and sub-agents – including casino hosts – who worked for his illegal gambling business who were paid a portion of the losses that bettors incurred and paid. His unlawful business used several Costa Rica-based websites and a call center so agents and customers could place and track bets. At times, Bowyer operated his illegal business while gambling at a casino – identified in court documents as “Casino A” – and sometimes paid his agents commission in Casino A chips.
One of Bowyer’s clients was Ippei Mizuhara, who pleaded guilty on June 4 to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. Mizuhara was the Japanese-language interpreter and de facto manager of MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. Mizuhara admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to pay off gambling debts and failing to pay tax on his gambling income. Law enforcement considers Ohtani a victim. Mizuhara’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 25.
From September 2021 to January 2024, Mizuhara placed at least 19,000 bets with Bowyer’s illegal gambling business through one of the betting websites Bowyer used for it. During this period, Mizuhara had total winning bets of at least $142,256,769, and total losing bets of at least $182,935,206, leaving Mizuhara owing approximately $40,678,436. On a regular basis during this period, Bowyer would increase Mizuhara’s betting limits.
From February 2022 to January 2024, Bowyer directed Mizuhara to make payments of at least $16.25 million to Bowyer-controlled bank accounts, all of which were proceeds of Bowyer’s illegal gambling business. Of these illegal proceeds, Bowyer transferred or directed the transfer of least $9.3 million to a casino in the form of wire transfers as payment for markers for Bowyer and his associates.
Other Bowyer gambling business customers included “Individual B,” a professional baseball player for a Southern California-based baseball club, and “Individual C,” a former minor-league baseball player.
Bowyer admitted in his plea agreement to knowingly and willfully falsely reporting his taxable income to the IRS on his tax return for the year 2022. On that year’s tax return, Bowyer reported $607,897 in total income. His unreported income for that year was $4,030,938, which was income from his illegal gambling business, including $3.8 million in wire transfers into one of his bank accounts, which he did not declare on his tax return. As a result of the false information Bowyer provided, he owes additional taxes of $1,613,280 for the tax year 2022, not including interest and penalties.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
