Sibella was first convicted in a federal investigation into the Nix gambling ring

Sibella was sentenced late Wednesday afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The little-attended event went quickly and without drama. Sibella was found guilty of failing to file a suspicious activity report while employed at MGM Grand. He gave Nix, a known illegal bookmaker, $120,000 in exchange for a casino marker.

Sibella, the first to be convicted in a sweeping federal investigation surrounding Nix, stood with her head slightly bowed during the 18-minute sentencing.

When he was allowed to speak, he said this: “I want to apologize to the court, my family, my friends, the casino industry. Committing this crime has turned my life upside down and I look forward to moving on. And I promise you will never see me in this court again for anything like this.”

Sibella’s clean record helped him

The maximum penalty for this crime is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. But, Gee said, given Sibella’s history of contributing to the community, the fact that he has no prior criminal record and his willingness to admit to the crime, she agreed with the lesser recommendation.

Those circumstances lowered the sentencing guidelines by four levels, Gee said. The one-year probation was the least amount Sibella could have been sentenced to. The $9,500 fine was the highest.

Sibella chose not to speak to the handful of media present after the sentencing. And his attorney, Jeffrey Rutherford, spoke off the record. But Sibella’s lawyers shared a statement from him via email.

“I am relieved that this matter has been concluded and that I accept the conditions imposed by the court today,” Sibella said. “As I said during this investigation, I regret the pain this has caused my friends and family and am extremely grateful to those who have chosen to stand by me during these difficult times.

“The decision to file a single charge, for failure to file a Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) at MGM Resorts in 2017, did not come easily given the underlying facts and realities in this case. I have been charged with failure to file a SAR from the beginning, accepted a plea deal and have taken full responsibility for what I did. I would like to reiterate that I have not gained any benefit whatsoever – personally, professionally or financially – from anything alleged.”

During the sentencing, Gee said she received a record 81 letters confirming Sibella’s character.

“I don’t think I’ve ever received so many messages of support,” she said.

Federal investigation also catches an ex-Ohtani interpreter

The U.S. Probation Office recommended the sentence, which both the Justice Department and Sibella agreed to.

In addition to the probation and fine, Sibella must perform 200 hours of community service and agree not to break the law.

Two hours before Sibella’s sentencing, the U.S. Attorney’s Office broke the news that Ippei Mizuhara had agreed to plead guilty to charges of bank fraud and filing a false tax return.

Mizuhara is the former interpreter of baseball player Shohei Ohtani, who is accused of transferring $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay an illegal bookmaker.

The cases both stem from a federal investigation into the illegal Nix gambling ring in Southern California. It is believed that Mizuhara placed his bets with Mathew Bowyer. But Rutherford said that’s where the connection ends.

“Mr. Sibella was not involved in Mathew Bowyer’s bookmaking activities and had nothing to do with Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter,” Rutherford said in a written statement.

Details of what happened, timeline

Sibella’s world began to change last fall when he was fired by Resorts World after it learned he was under investigation. Sibella agreed to plead guilty in the federal investigation last December.

According to his plea agreement, Sibella “was aware that Nix was engaged in illegal bookmaking” sometime in August 2017 or earlier. Sibella allowed Nix to continue gambling and gave him “luxury perks,” as Gee called them.

The plea shows that Sibella was aware that Nix and his associates had placed a $5 million bet on the Super Bowl in January 2019. He also knew Nix gambled $5,000 or more, which should have been flagged.

Sibella said he “heard Nix was in the booking business,” according to the plea. And Sibella “couldn’t figure out how he got all the money he gambled with.” But Sibella said he didn’t want to acknowledge the situation.

The duration of Sibella’s journey through the legal system was relatively short. He agreed to the plea deal on December 27, 2023 and was sentenced less than five months later.

“I did not want to know because of my position,” Sibella said in the settlement. “In this industry they (bookies) are a dime a dozen… I stay out of it. If we know, we can’t let them gamble. I didn’t ask. I didn’t want to know, I guess, because he didn’t do anything to defraud the casino.”