The bookie at the center of the scandal that rocked MLB earlier this year is set to plead guilty to operating an illegal gambling business.

Mathew Bowyer accepted thousands of wagers from the former interpreter of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, which resulted in Ippei Mizuhara racking up major losses. He stole almost $17m from his employer to cover his debts with Bowyer.

illegal gambling operation, false tax return, and money laundering charges

The US Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles issued a statement on Thursday giving details about the guilty plea for the illegal gambling operation, false tax return, and money laundering charges. The entry of the official plea agreement will take place on August 9.

Bowyer’s operation ran for at least five years and accepted bets from over 700 people. While the 49-year-old claimed his income on his tax return for 2022 was $607,897, it was really over $4m. He will have to pay back taxes of $1.6m for that year, as well as forfeit money and casino chips that the authorities seized after raiding his residence last year.

Talking about the case, the bookmaker’s attorney Diane Bass said that the plea agreement has been in the works for “a very long time” and that her client is “looking forward to accepting full responsibility for his actions.”