Shohei Ohtani’s stolen money has taken the government up Interstate 15 from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.
Who is Shohei Ohtani?
Shohei Ohtani is a professional baseball player from Japan who currently plays for the Los Angeles Angels in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is known for his exceptional skills both as a pitcher and as a hitter, a rare combination in modern baseball.
Shohei Ohtani made his MLB debut with the Angels in 2018 and has since become one of the most exciting and talented players in the league. He has earned numerous accolades, including All-Star selections and awards for both his pitching and hitting abilities.
The millions of dollars stolen by Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, to pay off illegal bookmakers ended up deposited in gambling accounts at casinos in California and Las Vegas, according to ESPN. From there, they were converted into chips and cashed out to pay the bookies.
The Money Trail
The money trail is the latest revelation in the federal investigation surrounding Ohtani’s money after Mizuhara stole more than $16 million from the Dodgers’ star to drive his gambling addiction.
Mizuhara placed his bets with Mathew Bowyer, an illegal bookie based out of Southern California.
Bowyer’s history with gambling is well-documented, including a staggering loss of over $800,000 at Resorts World on a single occasion. His past financial woes, including a $425,000 gambling loss and a $1.2 million debt to Foxwoods Resort Casino, uncovered through public records and court filings, paint a picture of a high-roller with a penchant for risk.
A bookie, short for a bookmaker, is someone who takes bets on sporting events and other outcomes at agreed-upon odds. Bookies typically operate illegally outside of licensed sportsbooks and gambling establishments. They often cater to individuals who want to place bets on events but do not have access to legal betting options.
Bookies handle the bets, set the odds, and pay out winnings. They make their profit by ensuring that they receive more money in bets for losing outcomes than they have to pay out for winning ones.
ESPN reported Mizuhara paid Bowyer through an “associate,” who sent the money to a “marker” account at Resorts World, a Vegas-based casino. Bowyer and his comrade withdrew the money in the form of chips at Resorts World to gamble.
Losses and Bans
Bowyer lost $7.9 million from gambling at Resorts World from June 2022 to October ’23, ESPN reported and was banned from U.S. casinos last year after a federal raid on his alleged bookmaking operation.
“Resorts World is at the center” of a federal investigation into gambling and money laundering, according to the ESPN story.
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Federal Investigations
The off-Strip luxury hotel opened in 2021 and was issued a federal subpoena in August ’23 for documents related to its anti-money laundering policies.
Scott Sibella, the original president and chief operating officer of Resorts World, is slated to be sentenced May 8 for federal charges of failing to report suspicious gambling activity to the federal government while serving as MGM Grand’s president in 2018, a year before he left to run Resorts World.
Ties to Other Investigations
That investigation was tied to Wayne Nix, another Southern California bookie, whose clients included NBA legend Scottie Pippen, LeBron James’s business partner Maverick Carter, and former Dodger Yasiel Puig.
