Japan: Money laundering gang broken up

[Top Gun]

Yah, sounds to me like the scammers are not very happy??
Well done to all involved!

[Marie]

Japan Times . Well, maybe they should check here.

[Marie]

I think the link is good for one week maybe.

[Phantom]

OK, Miyuki-san, what will they do with these people they arrested, Felix Steve Asabor and the rest?

[Miyuki]

@ Phantom, The case proseuctor has 24 hours to request continued detention or ask for the suspect's release. The police have 48 hours to charge or release. The prosecutor can ask for detention for up to 10 days and can ask for another 10 day extention. Whenever the detention period ends the prosecutor usually charges the suspect. Generally.

[Miyuki]

09/13/2007
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN CHIBA--Police here have arrested a man from Nigeria, a gangster and two other Japanese on suspicion of operating a money-laundering center for overseas crime syndicates.

Christopher Ariri Noguchi, 39, from Sakado, Saitama Prefecture, who obtained Japanese citizenship after leaving Nigeria; Manabu Fukuda, 38, an executive of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai who lives in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture, and the two other men have admitted to the allegations, police said Thursday.

Police said the four opened bank accounts under dummy companies to launder money transferred from at least six countries.

Chiba prefectural police have already confirmed about 1.3 billion yen ($11.4 million) from overseas was deposited in about 100 bank accounts opened by the suspects.

Prefectural police launched a joint investigation with Saitama prefectural police to crack a money laundering scheme run by another Nigerian man using the same method, they said.

According to Chiba prefectural police, the four opened bank accounts in April and October 2005 in the cities of Funabashi and Chiba, knowing they would be used to launder money for syndicates outside Japan.

Between December 2004 and October 2006, the four opened about 100 bank accounts at major and local banks in the cities, the investigators said.

About 1.3 billion yen was remitted in the accounts from the United States, Germany, Canada, Britain, Australia and Switzerland. Police confirmed that about 260 million yen was later transferred to accounts in Canada, China and Britain.

Police suspect the accounts in Chiba Prefecture were likely used as the "entrepot" for the entire money laundering scheme by crime syndicates around the world.

Earlier this month, Saitama prefectural police arrested six people, including a Nigerian man, for their alleged involvement in a money laundering scheme involving about 700 million yen swindled in the United States.

(IHT/Asahi: September 13,2007)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-...709130343.html

[Central Scrutinizer]

Not much new here.... Japan Times, Sept. 14.

CHIBA (Kyodo) Four men have been arrested for allegedly opening bank accounts that were used for money laundering by one or more overseas crime groups, police said Thursday.

Gangster Manabu Fukuda, 38, two other Japanese men and travel executive Christopher Ariri Noguchi, 39, a former Nigerian national living in Saitama Prefecture, are suspected of opening bank accounts knowing they would be used for money laundering, the police said.

Chiba Prefectural Police have confirmed that about ¥1.3 billion has been remitted from six countries, including the United States and Germany, to about 100 bank accounts the suspects opened from December 2004 to October 2006, they said.

Police are also investigating the suspects for allegedly breaking the organized crime law.

Earlier this month, Saitama Prefectural Police arrested five Japanese and one Nigerian man for their alleged involvement in money laundering on behalf of U.S. crime syndicates.

Chiba and Saitama police are investigating to determine whether there is a relationship between the two cases.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0070914a6.html

[Central Scrutinizer]

A little more news here:

CHIBA -- Four people under arrest for their roles in an alleged money-laundering case involving an overseas crime organization used about 100 bank accounts opened under fictitious company names to help a foreign crime group launder money, police said.

The crime group is suspected of using the accounts to launder money into Japan that it had swindled from overseas companies. The four used fictitious company names for the accounts to make it look as if they were legitimate companies and to make the fraud victims trust the swindler, Chiba Prefectural Police investigators said.

The four, including Christopher Ariri Noguchi, 39, a former Nigerian national who has obtained Japanese nationality, and gangster Manabu Fukuda, 38, have been arrested on charges of fraud.

Noguchi admitted to their role in the crime. "We opened these accounts for money-laundering," he was quoted as telling investigators.

Noguchi, Fukuda and the two others opened about 100 accounts at a major commercial bank in Chiba and other financial institutions under fictitious company names in 2005 to allow the overseas crime organization to use them to deposit money from their victims.

Prefectural police investigators have confirmed that about 1.3 billion yen was remitted into these accounts over a three-year period. They suspect that the four withdrew money from the accounts and transferred it into accounts that the crime organization held in China and Canada while knowing the group was laundering the money.

The crime organization, believed to be based in Nigeria, sent e-mails to overseas companies proposing business transactions, and defrauded the victims out of money under the guise of commissions, investigators said.
(Mainichi)

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/nation...na027000c.html

[Phantom]

Holy cow. Someone in Japan is taking this money laundering business seriously and doing something about it.

[Spidey]

woo hoo! yes! what is that now, 10 arrests?