Shohei Ohtani's former translator, Ippei Mizuhara's bookmaker, has been sentenced to one year in prison.

In the gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's former translator Ippei Mizuhara, the underground bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, who was contacted by Mizuhara, was sentenced today to 12 months and 1 day, officially convicted. Bowyer admitted to having many regrets about the incident during a CNN interview.

The 50-year-old Bowyer faced charges of operating illegal gambling, money laundering, and false tax filings. He pleaded guilty and, as part of his cooperation with prosecutors to convict Ippei Mizuhara and another underground bookmaker, the prosecution sought a lighter sentence of 15 months. Ultimately, he was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day. After release, he will undergo two years of supervision and receive counseling related to gambling addiction.

In the CNN interview, the reporter noted that Bowyer initially seemed unrepentant about running illegal gambling, believing his service was morally justified. However, Bowyer later admitted he had many regrets, including causing Ippei Mizuhara to be imprisoned.

Ippei Mizuhara had long been involved in gambling and even misappropriated nearly $17 million from Shohei Ohtani's bank accounts, resulting in a 57-month prison sentence, which he is currently serving. Bowyer also expressed remorse for enabling gambling addiction and the harm it caused to gamblers and their families.

“Fortunately, Shohei Ohtani had a great year,” Bowyer said. During the 2024 season when the Mizuhara scandal broke, Ohtani, despite being unable to pitch due to elbow ligament surgery rehabilitation, delivered arguably his best hitting performance. He set a personal best with 54 home runs, the most in the National League, and stole 59 bases, becoming the first player in Major League history to exceed 42 in both home runs and stolen bases in a single season. He also became the first player ever to win the MVP award three times unanimously.