The main suspect in the Congo investment fraud case, who collected 2.7 billion from investors and fled… “Champagne with a beautiful woman,” a picture of a flamboyant extravaganza.

Four people, including the president of Advance Industries (Kobe City), were arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department by October 13 on charges of violating the Capital Subscription Law for illegally collecting funds under the guise of investing in mining development in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The total amount of damage collected from 98 investors amounted to 2.7 billion yen.

The main suspect is Yohei Funakoshi, 34, a representative of a jewelry processing and manufacturing company in Tokyo called “Square Design. A subsidiary of Advance Industries, which mines copper and cobalt in the Congo, had been approached about a takeover bid, with the lure that the stock price would surely double if the deal went through.

According to an acquaintance, Funakoshi’s hobby was to spend many nights in the entertainment district.

Funakoshi, a native of Fukuoka Prefecture, graduated from Yokohama National University and joined Keyence. Later, he told us, he went independent and created his own investment company. Recently, he said, ‘I made a lot of money at NFT. I’ve saved up some money, so I want to retire soon. Like a Kyushu boy, he was strong on alcohol and could drink all night without a care in the world. He was also quite fond of women. He owned a bar in Roppongi where you could enjoy poker and shisha, and he would go out to Roppongi with women when he called it ‘shisha research.

The photo above shows Funakoshi in the midst of his wild fun. He is wearing a super mini-skirt and a leopard print camisole, flanked by beautiful women, smiling contentedly behind a table set with champagne.

Why were so many investors deceived by this seemingly ordinary young man? Businessman and rapper Tomoro, who had been in contact with Funakoshi until just before his arrest, including consulting him about bar management, reveals the true face of the suspect.

He said, “We used to meet about three times a week, but he never once talked to me about investing. So when he was arrested, I was very surprised. When he asked me for advice, saying, ‘I need money to connect my business,’ and I lent him 2 million yen, the repayment was overdue. …… He also mentioned that he wanted to move to Dubai, probably to escape. He speaks calmly and reasonably, so he seems very sincere and doesn’t look like he is lying. That’s why I also think the victims were deceived.”

Funakoshi was “retired” from society in the worst possible way.

From the November 3, 2023 issue of FRIDAY