Report Shows Where Shohei Ohtani’s Interpreter’s Gambling Losses Went
The saga of Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani is almost over. On Wednesday, the former interpreter pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani, one count of bank fraud, and one count of subscribing to a false tax return.
So, where did the money go?
ESPN reported that Resorts World, a hotel and casino in Las Vegas, is at the center of what federal authorities described in an affidavit as an investigation into “illegal sports bookmaking organizations operating in Southern California, and the launder of the proceeds of these operations through casinos in Las Vegas.”
A spokesperson for Resorts World told ESPN the casino does not comment on ongoing legal matters. “Resorts World Las Vegas takes any suggestion of violations seriously and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation,” the spokesperson said.
Mathew Bowyer, the California bookmaker who took Mizuhara’s bets, was a frequent customer at Las Vegas casino Resorts World. The sources told ESPN that Mizuhara paid his losses to Bowyer’s associate, Ryan Boyajian, a current cast member of Bravo’s reality TV series, “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” Boyajian forwarded the money to his “marker” accounts at Resorts World and Pechanga Resort Casino in Southern California. The men then withdrew chips from the marker account, gambled with them, and if they won, cashed out.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Mizuhara will be required to pay full restitution to his victims, which includes $16,975,010 to Victim A (inferred to be Ohtani) and $1,149,400 to the IRS.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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