Bookmaker to plead guilty in gambling case tied to Ohtani's ex-interpreter

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California bookmaker who took thousands of sports bets from the ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to running an illegal gambling business, U.S. authorities said Thursday.

Mathew Bowyer’s business operated for at least five years in Southern California and Las Vegas and took wagers from more than 700 bettors, including Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles said in a statement.

He is expected to plead guilty on August 9 to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering, and subscribing to a false tax return, according to the statement.

The prosecution against Mathew Bowyer follows several sports betting scandals that emerged this year, including one that prompted Major League Baseball to ban a player for life for the first time since Pete Rose was barred in 1989.