“Don’t Arrest Me”: A Special Background on a Fraudster Whose Car Costs Tens of Millions of Yen
Why did he return to Japan from Dubai, where he had fled, while his colleagues were being arrested?
When the man came out of the Mejiro Police Station, it was almost 3:30 in the morning. It had been about seven hours since he had entered the police station. The man looked down tiredly and got into the transport vehicle.
On June 13, the suspect, Daiki Matsue, 31, was arrested after returning from Dubai. He was suspected of fraud, having fraudulently received a benefit for sustaining a new type of coronavirus. In addition to Matsue, seven other suspects were arrested on June 1, including Kohei Tsukamoto, 24, a Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau employee, and Rinka Sato, 22, a real estate company employee, as the main suspects. The total amount of damage reportedly amounted to 200 million yen. The scheme is as follows.
“The suspects would recruit high school and college students. They persuade them to invest in crypto assets. They say, ‘If you invest in crypto assets, you can become a sole proprietor and legally apply for benefits,’ and ‘Your benefits will be doubled if you invest in Bitcoin’. The number of names of application recipients has reached about 200,” said a reporter from the society section of a national newspaper.
The seven suspects are investment associates of Mining Express (ME), a virtual currency-related business. Matsue is believed to have been their leader.
“In a video showing a seminar they held, Matsue is introduced as the leader of the group. He is also shown getting out of a Rolls Royce, which costs about 47 million yen. Matsue is also said to own another luxury car, a Lamborghini.”
Left a large company at the age of 25 after making a lot of money
Matsue reportedly joined NEC after graduating from Kwansei Gakuin University. Immediately after that, he got into investing, made a fortune in virtual currency, and left the company at the age of 25. He also branched out into restaurant management, opening restaurants in Ebisu, Roppongi, and other locations in Tokyo.
“The suspects had college students invest in ME in addition to their benefits. However, when the fraud almost came to light due to accusations from university students who became suspicious, Matsue and his family left the country for Dubai in February of this year.”
However, Matsue returned to Japan on June 13, just as his friends were being arrested one after another. Why did he return from his escape? Before returning to Japan, he submitted a written report to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department through his lawyer, stating the following
“It has been reported that I played a leading role, but this is not true. I would like to go back to Japan and give a full explanation.”
It is also known that the report was accompanied by a document written by Matsue’s parents.
“I will have him appear before you on the 13th (when he returns to Japan). Please don’t arrest him because he will tell you the truth.”
“Please don’t arrest me for causing a 200-million-yen fraud case.” What was Matsue’s intention? Lawyer Hirotaro Kato, an expert on fraud cases, explains.
“A Japanese suspect was recently arrested in Indonesia in another fraud case. The background is that the government has revoked his passport. Without a passport, he cannot travel freely, even if he is fleeing abroad, because he could be arrested for illegal stay. Upon learning the news in Indonesia, the suspect, Matsue, probably decided to return to his home country before his passport expired.
I believe that the fact that he submitted the appeal is an indication that he has no fear of fleeing. It seems that his intention was to improve the police’s impression of him and to have his punishment somewhat reduced. However, submitting a written report is not equivalent to turning oneself in. A surrender is valid when the identity of the culprit is unknown before the incident is discovered.”
When questioned by the police, Matsue said that he does not want to talk about any of the facts, and is withholding his admission or denial.
Photo by： Shinji Hasuo
