Who is Ryan Boyajian, the Real Housewives cast member involved in Shohei Ohtani interpreter gambling scandal

Ryan Boyajian is a cast member on Bravo’s reality TV series “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” In the sports world, he may have a new identity and title as the man who who received money wired for Ippei Mizuhara’s gambling debts in the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal.

Multiple sources reported to ESPN that Boyajian is “Associate 1” in the criminal complaint against Mizuhara. It came three weeks after the news that Boyajian had asked Bravo star Jennifer Pedranti, a fellow cast member on Housewives, to marry him. Ryan entered the public spotlight during Season 17 when he began dating Pedranti.

Tamra Judge and Pedranti got into a heated argument about her new boyfriend as Judge found it hard to trust Boyajian. She believed he had been unfaithful to many of his past partners and had even tried to seduce her before the relationship began.

Boyajian denied all of the accusations against him, something he will have to get used to doing if the allegations are true about his and Mizuhara’s bookmaker. Ryan is the Vice President of Operations at Boyajian Brokerage. He earned his bachelor’s degree in science, economics, sociology, and history from Florida State.

Before becoming Vice President of Operations, Boyajian was an On-Premise Sales Representative with Double Eagle Distributing. He’s also athletic in his own right, working with Bill Clark Tennis Academy as a Tennis Professional. He led plenty of students to national tennis tournaments.

Boyajian has two children of his own, while Pedranti has five children between the ages of 5 and 18. Pedranti’s new-found family could see some cracks form if Boyajian is found guilty of wrongdoing in the Mizuhara case.

Ryan Boyajian’s relationship with Ippei’s bookmaker

Ippei, the former interpreter for Shohei Ohtani, pleaed guilty in May 2024 of stealing $17 million from the Dodger, who was with the Los Angeles Angels at the time of the thefts. Boyajian is the alleged associate that the criminal complaint lists. Ippei was wiring money into the account of Mathew Bowyer’s associate.

Bowyer is the illegal bookmaker, and Boyajian is a friend and associate. Boyajian uses the account, where Ippei was wiring the transfers, for his real estate projects. Bowyer and Boyajian knew each other for 20 years, so it’s unclear how long their connection in the bookmaking business goes back. 

Steven Katzman is the criminal attorney for Boyajian, and he told ESPN in May 2024 that his client was working with the authorities. “Because there is an active investigation and Ryan is working with the authorities, he can’t confirm or deny what is going on,” Katzman told ESPN. “He is not a bookmaker or a sub-bookie.”

The alleged actions from Boyajian and Bowyer paint a clear picture of where Ippei and Shohei’s money was going. Boyajian and Bowyer often gambled at casinos on the Las Vegas strip. They received high-end compensation from the casinos, including free food, beverages, golf, shows, sporting events, hotel suites, and promo chips.

ESPN’s sources say that after Ippei paid his losses, the gambling duo would use the money to withdraw chips from their casino accounts and gamble with them.

There is no unsealed indictment that names him, but Bowyer’s name is known as Ippei’s bookmaker’s identity. There has been no comment from Bowyer’s attorney.

The casino that Bowyer used for his transgressions is also under investigation for illegal bookmaking operations in Southern California. Twelve people have been charged or convicted with more fines and charges likely coming.