OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a top executive of the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza syndicate and two others for allegedly using his non-yakuza brother’s identity to illegally gamble on public sports online, reports Yomiuri TV (July 30).
Kim Dong-ryok, 70, a high-ranking lieutenant (wakagashira-hosa) of the Yamaguchi-gumi and head of the affiliated Akira-rengokai, was arrested alongside his 64-year-old brother, Kim Yuji, and one other individual.
They face charges of unauthorized creation and use of private electromagnetic records — a legal classification for identity fraud.
Keirin
Because known organized crime members are legally barred from using such services, the yakuza boss allegedly impersonated his civilian brother to access an internet betting platform for keirin (bicycle racing) and other public sports over a two-month period.
The scheme unraveled in February 2023 during a separate police investigation. While inspecting the elder Kim’s smartphone case, officers discovered a betting service membership card registered under his brother’s name.
Further suspicions were raised when a person of interest in the prior investigation tipped off investigators to the underworld boss’s gambling habits, telling police, “The chairman loves bicycle racing.”
Dating back to 2021
While authorities have not disclosed whether the suspects have admitted to the allegations, bank account histories reveal the staggering scale of the operation. Investigators believe that more than 100 million yen was wagered through the illicit account since around 2021.
Police are continuing their investigation into the syndicate’s flow of funds and are looking into additional individuals suspected of being involved in the betting scheme.
