Mathew Bowyer, the accused Orange County, Calif. illegal bookmaker, allegedly laundered at least $18 million through casinos in Las Vegas and California, according to court documents. Bowyer had more than 700 customers at the height of his business, and used Costa-Rican based wagering websites to place bets, per iGB. Bowyer, who has agreed to plead guilty to three federal charges Friday, faces a maximum of 18 years in prison. The plea hearing is set for 1 p.m. PT at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Santa Ana.
Court documents reveal a massive operation that not only operated outside of California law, but involved black-market partners. Bowyer is the bookie used by former Shohei Ohtani interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, who pled guilty to stealing $17 million from the baseball player.
Bowyer’s business was based out of Orange and Los Angeles counties in California and Clark County in Las Vegas. Sports betting is illegal in California.
In addition to prison time, Bowyer could get a maximum of three years of probation, and could be fined $750,000 or two times the “gross gain or gross loss resulting from the offenses” – whichever is higher.
Besides the illegal gambling, Bowyer also violated IRS laws. It is that offense that could prove most costly in terms of dollars. According to the court documents, Bowyer reported $607,897 in total income for the 2022 tax year. His unreported income was $4,030,938. He will owe $1,613,280 in unpaid taxes, but will also be responsible for interest and penalties. Bowyer will also have to pay the prosecution’s costs.
