Report: Ex-LA Angels infielder accused of using same bookmaker involved in Mizuhara scandal
MLB rocked by another potential betting controversy as David Fletcher set to be investigated for using same bookmaker as Shohei Ohtani's ex-interpreter
Ex-Los Angeles Angels infielder David Fletcher is alleged to have bet on sports using the same illegal Southern California bookmaker that took wagers from Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, as per multiple reports.
Fletcher, who currently plays for the Atlanta Braves, is thought to be one of Ohtani’s closest friends in baseball having spent two out of five years as teammates at the Angel Stadium.
Twenty-nine-year-old Fletcher is accused of wagering bets with Mathew Bowyer, the illegal bookmaker at the centre of the Mizuhara scandal.
According to ESPN sources, Fletcher placed bets on several different sports, but baseball was not one of them.
MLB rules state that players and employees are allowed to bet on sports other than baseball, but only with recognised legal operators. However, gambling on sports is illegal in the state of California.
The league rules make clear that players found guilty of betting with illegal bookmakers will face punishment at commissioner Rob Manfred’s discretion. This includes a potential one-year ban for those who bet on baseball fixtures they didn’t participate in, and a lifetime ban for a player who bets on his own games.
Colby Schultz, a close friend of Fletcher’s and a former player in the Kansas City Royals’ system between 2018 and 2020, is believed to have placed bets on baseball, including Angels games that Fletcher starred in while he was on the team.
Fletcher is now expected to be the subject of an investigation by the MLB despite claiming during an interview back in March with ESPN that he has never placed a bet with Bowyer’s operation.
Mizuhara is alleged to have stolen just under $17m from MLB icon Ohtani to fund his gambling debts.
In the interview, Fletcher told ESPN that although he was present for a private poker game in San Diego where Mizuhara and Bowyer first met three years ago, he did not introduce the interpreter to the bookie and that Bowyer was at the game via an acquaintance of his.
Fletcher added that he’d previously met Bowyer before while playing golf and admitted to knowing he was a bookmaker.
Bowyer is under federal investigation, in which both Mizuhara’s and Fletcher’s names are mentioned.
Mizuhara entered a not guilty plea on 14 May, a formality as he negotiates a plea deal with prosecutors. He is facing up to 33 years in prison for bank fraud and other charges.