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Police in Kobe on Thursday arrested ex-Yamaguchi-gumi gang member Toshiyuki Fukai, 54, and two accomplices for allegedly defrauding a construction company of cash in the wake of the Tohoku earthquake.
According to police, the three men posed as representatives of a large Tohoku construction contractor in April 2011, immediately following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Under that guise, they allegedly offered debris clearance work to an Osaka construction company president whom they met in a cafe.
TBS reported that the president paid a cash deposit of 10 million yen to secure the contract and assembled a team of 30 to carry out the job. However, the work never materialized and the construction company reported the meeting to the police.
Police say that the defrauded company suffered financial troubles due to the incident and is no longer operating. Fukai, a former member of the upper echelons of the Yamaguchi-gumi branch of the yakuza, and his two accomplices, have reportedly denied the charges.
© Japan Today
16 Comments
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Novenachama
It's sad but large investment frauds have continued to flourish taking a toll on Japan's economy to this day as well as financial crimes that involve the Yakuza. These racketeers have always constituted a significant challenge to law enforcement. Therefore a more comprehensive legislation is needed to combat the tide of white-collar crime in Japanese society.
Disillusioned
Ex-Yakuza? Really? Once a Yak, always a Yak!
gogogo
Stop calling the guy "ex-Yamaguchi-gumi" he is ex NOW because he was caught but was not at the time of the crime.
rickyvee
there's a sucker born every second. that company president should have done his due diligence.
Ewan Huzarmy
Under that guise, they allegedly offered debris clearance work to an Osaka construction company president whom they met in a cafe
Come on ! It's like a bloke coming up to you in a pub and asking if you want to buy a laptop or car stereo. Why didn't he detect the stench of yak activity ?
zurcronium
Of course the President knew they were Yaks, that is why he paid. No other reasonable explanation.
The Yaks will pull a few stings and these guys will get off with little or no punishment.
Vernie Jefferies
Ex-Yakuza? I didn't know they had graduation.
cloa513
How does one become an ex-yakuza- sounds dodgy. Just a suck up to the Yakuza.
Impersonator
Yeah, well, it would seem that some yakuza become ex-yakuza when busted.
Anyway, aren't bribes illegal?
all4faj
A bribe may be illegal , but gratuities are not, neither is financial compensation ,
Tiger_In_The_Hermitage
Saying he's an ex-yakusa is against the presumption of innocense cause it implies he's a bad guy.
maninjapan79
Both the guy being caught and the yakuza organization say he's left the organization and committed the crime on his own accord as current laws would mean trouble for his superiors. The police are happy to go along with this cause its easier than taking on the whole organization. Media go along with it so they don't face any retribution for it either.... Once they are out of prison they lay low for a while then right back into it
GW
This is too funny! Let see we have yakuza ripping of a contruction company which likely has yakuza connections..........
humanrights
They say 'Ex' so they dont upset the rest of them. words again.
kurisupisu
10,000,000 yen to people you don't know to secure a contract?