Blackmailing Brothers Extorted 37 Million Yen by Secretly Filming Common-Law Wife
Every night at 10 p.m., he makes his wife stand by the window.
The brothers who used the older brother’s common-law wife in a “honey trap” have been arrested for their outrageous scheme.
On September 11, the Osaka Prefectural Police Suita Station and the Special Criminal Investigation Unit arrested the elder brother, Tatsuya Minamoto (45), a company executive from Suita City; his younger brother, Mitsuru Minamoto (39), a self-proclaimed company employee; and Yosuke Katanoda (45), the representative of the car dealership “Wise One” in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on suspicion of fraud. The three are accused of defrauding a man in his 50s living in Suita City last April, extorting money under the pretext of compensation, and coercing him into signing an illegal loan contract for a luxury Maserati.
“The incident began when Tatsuya Minamoto and Mitsuru Minamoto accused the victim of secretly filming a naked woman, defrauding him of approximately 37 million yen. In April 2022, the victim happened to glance at the seventh floor of the apartment building across from him, where he saw a slender woman standing by the window, completely naked. That woman was Tatsuya’s common-law wife. Every night around 10 p.m., she would stand by the window either naked or in her underwear, deliberately enticing the victim to take photos. Unable to resist, the victim secretly took pictures with his smartphone.” (said an investigator)
In January 2023, Tatsuya visited the victim’s home with Mitsuru, confronting him by saying, “What are you doing filming someone else’s wife?” and demanding compensation. Mitsuru then pressured the victim, stating, “If you give me 20 million yen, I can invest it, and the profits can go toward your compensation to my brother,” ultimately extracting approximately 37 million yen from him.
“But that was not the end of it. In April 2023, Tatsuya and Mitsuru approached the victim, asking him, ‘Could you buy a car under your name for us?’ They manipulated him into purchasing a used Maserati from their friend Yosuke Katanoda, who runs a car dealership. They submitted a fraudulent sales contract to the credit company, stating a price of 27.8 million yen, which was inflated compared to the actual price. This allowed them to secure a loan contract, and they swindled the victim out of 14.8 million yen, excluding the down payment. The 14.8 million yen was transferred into the account of Katanoda’s company, Wise One. Fearing exposure of his secret filming to his company or family, the victim felt he had no choice but to comply with the three men’s demands.” (the investigator added)
In August 2023, the incident came to light when the victim, burdened with debts from banks and consumer finance companies, reached out to the police for help. According to the Suita Police Station, multiple reports of similar schemes have been documented.
