Ryan Boyajian of 'RHOC' Allegedly Testified in $16 Million Gambling Scheme for Immunity

In the land of The Real Housewives, one thing for sure and two things for certain: every show within the franchise includes a cast member with a boyfriend to whom all of her friends give a side-eye.

On Season 16 of The Real Housewives of Orange County, the particular defensive woman/unbothered boyfriend combo was Jennifer Pedranti and Ryan Boyaijan. During the couple's debut season, they instantly caught flack from her fellow co-stars for their relationship, including how they first got together while Jen was still married

Soon, her friend and longtime OC star Tamra Judge also made wild allegations about Ryan wanting to have sex with Tamra, despite being friends with her husband, Eddie Judge.

Jennifer cleared the air on the allegations about her and Ryan on the RHOC Season 16 reunion. In April 2024, the couple got engaged after four years of dating. Unfortunately, just one month later, Ryan became involved in a scandal beyond any Bravo drama.

Here's what to know about Ryan's allegations and the investigation on the RHOC fiance.

Ryan's name began to circulate amid a gambling scheme that ESPN broke in April 2024. According to the outlet, California Feds discovered that Los Angeles Dodgers player Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, had been stealing from the MLB star over the course of two years. Mizuhara allegedly used the funds to pay off gambling debts he acquired through an illegal sportsbook.

In May 2024, Ryan's name became involved in the case when multiple sources told ESPN he was an associate of the bookkeeper who allegedly worked with Mizuhara to wire the funds. The bookkeeper, Mathew Bowyer, is a close friend of Ryan's, and court documents show him loaning Bowyer $245,000 when he filed for bankruptcy in 2011. The friends reportedly used Shohei's account, accessed by Mizuhara, for their real estate business.

The sources also stated that Mizuhara allegedly wired Ryan the money from Shohei's account and paid his gambling losses to Ryan. Ryan would then allegedly send the funds to “marker” accounts at Resorts World Las Vegas and Pechanga Resort Casino in Southern California. Then, he and Bowyer would allegedly "wash" the money and exchange them as chips. They would then allegedly pocket any earnings made at the Vegas and California casinos.

Ryan was allegedly given immunity if he shared his involvement in the gambling scheme. However, the Bravo boyfriend has remained mum for now, letting is attorney, Steven Katzman, do the talking.

“Because there is an active investigation and Ryan is working with the authorities, he can’t confirm or deny what is going on," Katzman said. “He is not a bookmaker or a sub-bookie.”

Mizuhara's alleged activities with Ryan and Dowyer were an act of betrayal of his client, Shohei. In a news conference about the case covered by ESPN in April 2024, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada stated Shohei had no idea what his interpreter allegedly did with his money. Estrada stated in the news conference that they "combed through years of text messages between the two and found no discussion of gambling."

"I want to emphasize this point: Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case," Estrada said. "Mr. Mizuhara used and abused that position of trust ... in order to plunder Mr. Ohtani's bank account to the tune of over $16 million."

Mizuhara's gambling debts date back to October 2021. In the wake of the investigation, he admitted to ESPN that he has a "gambling addiction," which was laid out in a 37-page complaint that included text exchanges regarding gambling.

As of this writing, the investigation against Ryan, Mizuhara, and Dowyer is ongoing.

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