Another illegal sports betting operator in California, Christopher Scott King, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison, nearly double the sentence of Shohei Ohtani's former translator's gambling broker. King admitted to operating an illegal gambling business, tax evasion, and money laundering, illegally profiting over $13 million through false declarations. As part of the plea agreement, King agreed to pay $10 million in forfeiture and $3.8 million in tax restitution. This case highlights the federal authorities' ongoing determination to combat California's illegal sports betting market, with King and the recent Bowyer case revealing the workings of the largest underground gambling market in the nation.
Case Details and Judgment
Christopher Scott King admitted in April to operating an illegal gambling business, tax evasion, and money laundering, and was sentenced by a U.S. District Court judge to 21 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Investigations revealed that King earned over $13 million through illegal gambling and other channels over four years, but falsely declared only $1.68 million in taxable income to the IRS. His sentence is nearly twice that of Matt Bowyer, the gambling broker for Shohei Ohtani's former translator, who was sentenced in August and whose case attracted attention due to the involvement of a well-known sports star, while King's case was less publicized.
Illegal Operations and Asset Handling
King accepted bets through an offshore website with servers in Costa Rica and used the gambling proceeds to launder money, investing in high-end real estate in Southern California, including a $15 million Pacific Palisades mansion, an $8 million Santa Monica residence, and a $3.8 million Palm Desert property. Prosecutors accused King of renovating the properties with illegal funds before selling them, sometimes accepting cryptocurrency payments. King has already paid the $10 million in forfeiture and $3.8 million in tax restitution required by the plea agreement.
Industry Background and Related Cases
King and the Bowyer case together reveal the operations of California's illegal sports betting market, with Bowyer's client list including at least 700 gamblers, among them professional athletes, with some overlap in clients with King. King received a reduced sentence for cooperating with the investigation and providing information on unnamed accomplices, while Bowyer received a greater reduction for substantial cooperation. Currently, two other gambling operators are awaiting sentencing, including poker player Damian Lefebvre, who laundered money through Las Vegas casinos, and Wayne Nix, whose sentencing has been postponed multiple times.
