Long Beach man pleads guilty to running illegal sports betting operation

A professional poker player from Long Beach pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges of money laundering and running an illegal sports betting operation.

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Damien LeForbes, 43, is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23 in downtown Los Angeles. He faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine of $500,000 or twice the gross gain or loss resulting from the offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Over a nearly three-year period, LeForbes' illicit sportsbook took millions in illegal bets across California and Nevada, with part of the business relying on a Las Vegas casino, according to his plea agreement filed in L.A. federal court.

Multiple media reports say LeForbes is connected with Matt Bowyer, an illegal bookie who accepted hundreds of millions in wagers from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani's former translator. Ex-interpreter Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty in June to bank fraud for stealing nearly $17 million from the Dodger slugger's bank account to pay off illegal gambling debts. He faces prison time at sentencing in December. Ohtani is considered a victim of Mizuhara's massive theft.

Bowyer pleaded guilty in August to federal criminal charges of operating an illegal betting business, money laundering and filing a false tax return, and faces sentencing in February.

LeForbes, a participant on the broadcasts "Poker After Dark" and "High Stakes Poker," gambled more than $148 million at a Las Vegas casino identified in court filings as "Casino A," according to his plea agreement.

Court records show he used numerous cryptocurrency wallets to receive money from his betting clients and to pay winning bettors.

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