TOKYO (TR) – To be filed under: Who needs gangsters?
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a man and his wife who are suspected of running a loan sharking scheme that targeted more than 300 persons, reports Nippon News Network (Feb. 7).
Thus far, police have accused Yohei Kamizono, 45, and his wife, 51-year-old Hiromi, of collecting 940,000 yen in interest from four persons for loans of 1.3 million yen.
The maximum interest rate charged by the suspects was more than 120 times allowed under the law, police said.
“This is not loan sharking,” Hiromi was quoted by police in partially denying the allegations. Meanwhile Yohei denies the charges.
According to police, the suspects operated the scheme under the name Sunflower Finance, which was not properly licensed.
As a part of the investigation, police seized mobile telephones and computers.
The suspects are believed to have collected 43 million yen in interest on 30 million yen in loans from about 350 persons since 2018.
