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We just saw Shohei Ohtani deliver what might be the greatest baseball performance we’ve ever seen. 3 home runs. 10 strikeouts. 2 hits. Zero runs allowed. In a closing game of a Championship Series, no less.
Hell, it might be the best single-game performance in any sports — not just baseball.
The high Ohtani has to be on after that, and with his Dodgers four wins away from a repeat World Series win (MLB betting odds certainly favor them), it’s easy to forget just how low Ohtani was a year and a half ago. That’s when his life was flipped upside down by a betting scandal.
You remember the details, right? His best friend and translator, Ippei Mizuhara, siphoned millions upon millions from his pocket to fund a reckless gambling habit. The translator was indebted not to a popular offshore sportsbook but to a specific bookie. A fella named Matt Bowyer, who ended up being one of the most successful illegal bookmakers in recent memory.
Well, we have an update on Bowyer. He just went through a criminal trial in California, and of course, he didn’t fare all that well in front of the judge. Keep reading to see his fate.
Bowyer Reports To Prison
Earlier this October, Bowyer reported to FCI Lompoc, a minimum-security prison about an hour northwest of Santa Barbara. He’s there to serve his one-year sentence for running an illegal gambling ring. Remember, California sports betting is not allowed at all, little less through Bowyer’s unregulated ways. The sentence came down from U.S. District Judge John W. Holcomb in late August, closing the book on an all-time case given the Ohtani ties.
Bowyer turned himself in by the Friday noon deadline. He did so after going on a national media tour for his book Recalibrate. Look up on a podcast network and YouTube and you’ll hear his first-hand accounts of becoming an international sports betting kingpin. The translator was one of many clients for Bowyer over the years.
Ever the showman, on the morning of his surrender, Bowyer filmed a short clip from his car as he neared the gates of the facility and posted it to his growing following online. He said:
“Obviously, anxiety is high, I’m going to go in there with my head held high. I’m proud of what I built, I’m proud of everything I accomplished in life.”
That thing he built was a massive betting operation that included 700 clients. Even after its demise, the 50-year-old Bowyer had to have been sitting pretty because he forked over $1.6 million in restitution BEFORE entering jail. What’s one year in prison when you have millions sitting there, right?
Bowyer’s 180-Degree Lifestyle Turn
Not only was Bowyer more than fine handing over $1.6 million, but he apparently spent his last nights as a free man with his wife at the ultra Rosewood Miramar Beach hotel, a beachside property in Montecito, California. We did a quick Google check and rooms run for $2,000 a pop in the middle of the week.
Bowyer has been used to living the “high life.” On media appearances, he’s mentioned earning $150 million in comps from Strip casinos over the years. That’s $150 million in freebies — not money he’s spent. So of course, he’d give the luxurious life one last go before prison.
Though, Bowyer went on Instagram and said that a podcaster handled the last bill, not him. Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not, but the point is, Bowyer goes from that to staring at cement walls now. He says his wife will only be allowed to visit three times a month.
Bowyer Got A Light Punishment
All things considered, Bowyer paid a fairly small price pice for his actions. In fact, Bowyer’s sentence turned out lighter than many expected — and far less than what his infamous client, Ippei Mizuhara, received. Federal prosecutors originally pushed for a sentence between 15 and 21 months, while the probation officer recommended a full three years. Instead, Judge John W. Holcomb handed Bowyer just one year behind bars.
Mizuhara? He got 57 months in a Pennsylvania prison. But to be fair, the translator was also facing completely different charges than Bowyer. Mizuhara was convicted of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return.
But the bigger difference lies in the restitution. Get this, Mizuhara was ordered to pay $17 million to Ohtani — that’s the amount he stole from him in the first place. Moreover, Mizuhara owes the IRS $1.1 million in back taxes.
As mentioned, Bowyer paid out his $1.5 million in restitution. Though he’ll end up owing more in back taxes when that’s settled (he was reporting false numbers his entire run-up as a bookie). But… paying a good chunk back already was a show of good faith from Bowyer, and that likely shaved off some of his sentencing.
With both Bowyer and Mizuhara now in prison, this wild story is more or less over. You have to wonder if the two men will be watching Ohtani in the World Series vs. the Blue Jays. It’ll be a good reminder of how far things went before it all came crashing down on them…
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