A year ago, Matt Bowyer entered a federal prison in Southern California to serve a sentence at FCI Lompoc, located near Santa Barbara. Bowyer, who was affiliated with Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, pleaded guilty to charges related to laundering millions at Resorts World Las Vegas. Recently, another bookmaker linked to the same investigation, Damien Leforbes, faced a delay in his sentencing.
During a brief hearing on October 15, U.S. District Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani rescheduled Leforbes’ sentencing for almost two more months. Before this recent hearing, Leforbes had reached an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, which recommended probation, allowing him to avoid prison time.
Over 16 months leading up to December 2023, Leforbes incurred losses exceeding $10 million at Resorts World Las Vegas, as indicated in a 2025 complaint by Nevada regulators. The former UNLV baseball player pleaded guilty in August 2024 to charges of money laundering and operating an illegal gambling business.
Under the deal proposed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry Quinn, Leforbes would serve the initial four months of his sentence under home confinement. However, Judge Almadani has requested additional terms before finalizing a decision on the probationary sentence.
Leforbes is now set to learn his fate on December 10, as confirmed by a spokesman from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, who did not provide further details on the delay.
Both Bowyer and Leforbes were named in a complaint filed by the Nevada Gaming Control Board in 2025, but they appear to have operated separate illegal gambling activities. Resorts World Las Vegas agreed to pay a $10.5 million fine to resolve multiple charges regarding deficiencies in its anti-money laundering efforts; the casino admitted no wrongdoing as part of this settlement, which the Nevada Gaming Commission sanctioned in March 2025.
Court records reveal that Bowyer visited RWLV 80 times over 16 months, racking up net losses of about $7.9 million. The casino provided him with luxury suites, promotional chips, and even access to a corporate jet for a trip to a Dallas Cowboys game. In contrast, Leforbes allegedly wagered around $148 million over 11 months, leading to net losses close to $12 million.
In August 2025, Bowyer was sentenced to approximately 12 months in prison. He expressed remorse for his actions and aimed to use his experiences to assist others struggling with gambling addiction. After around seven months in FCI Lompoc, he was moved to a halfway house in March due to good behavior.
Leforbes appeared last week at the same courthouse where Bowyer was sentenced, during a hearing in the Ronald Reagan Federal Building. In a pre-sentencing memo submitted in April, Leforbes' attorneys referenced Bowyer's case extensively. Attorney Richard Schonfeld also mentioned Bowyer in a memo dated October 9, noting that Bowyer’s operation was on a significantly larger scale than Leforbes', managing more than 700 clients at its peak.
While both individuals received promotional perks from RWLV, Leforbes reportedly enjoyed the added attention of a casino host who was allegedly aware of his illegal gambling activities. Sources have characterized Leforbes as a good-natured individual who simply had a passion for high-stakes betting.
On October 1, Judge Almadani sanctioned an order allowing Leforbes to pay over $25,000 in federal income taxes for his 2025 liability. During the October 15 hearing, she instructed both parties to submit briefs addressing Leforbes' aggravated role adjustment. She also tasked a U.S. Pretrial & Probation Officer with preparing a report outlining the potential terms of a probationary sentence. Both documents are to be submitted by the end of November.
Since 2025, the Nevada Gaming Commission has levied approximately $34 million in penalties against four casinos in Las Vegas for anti-money laundering violations related to Bowyer’s case, with the latest fine of $7.2 million imposed on The Venetian in August. Although the commission approved this settlement unanimously, Schonfeld recused himself from the proceedings due to prior representation of a related case in connection with the Venetian investigation.
Leforbes has had his sentencing postponed multiple times since January 2025. Schonfeld did not respond to inquiries for comment.
