TOKYO (TR) – An unemployed married man who swindled multiple women on dating apps by posing as an airline pilot admitted to fraud charges during a hearing at the Tokyo District Court on September 15, reports Friday (Sep. 30).
Katsnori Yoshizawa, 40, used fake business cards and carried a flight crew suitcase to convince his victims that he was a high-flying bachelor looking to settle down. In reality, he was an unemployed high school graduate on his third marriage.
Appearing in court wearing a track suit, with a shaved head, green-lined glasses, and a slightly chubby physique, observers noted the defendant entirely lacked the aura of a ladies’ man. Yet, his deceit proved devastating to his victims.
1.4 million yen
According to prosecutors, Yoshizawa met a woman in her 30s, referred to as Victim A, on a matching app in October of last year. After moving in together in November, he convinced her of his intent to marry quickly, even greeting her family and booking a wedding venue for April.
He then defrauded her of 1.4 million yen, claiming the money was needed for a wedding deposit and a down payment on a house. To raise the funds, she canceled her life insurance and borrowed money from relatives.
“I can never forgive him. I don’t want him to ever come out of prison,” the victim stated.
500,000 yen
Another woman, was scammed out of 500,000 yen after Yoshizawa suggested they open a NISA investment account “for their future.” She later discovered no account had been opened and her bank balance had dwindled to 130,000 yen. She has demanded the return of her time and money.
During questioning, Yoshizawa’s motives revealed a staggering level of selfishness. When asked why he posed as a pilot, he cited an “inferiority complex regarding my education and work history,” adding that pilots make good money and he likes airplanes.
He admitted to spending the stolen funds on living expenses and dates, claiming, “I had to maintain my lifestyle as a pilot,” despite being financially destitute in reality.
“I was lonely”
Yoshizawa, a former care worker who has two children from a previous marriage, was unemployed and legally married to his third wife at the time of his arrest.
Asked why he joined dating apps while married, he blamed his wife. “A child was born, and my wife was so busy with work and childcare that she didn’t look at me as a man. I was lonely,” he said.
Regarding his marital status, Yoshizawa offered a bizarre defense for dating other women: “I thought my wife had submitted the divorce papers. I thought I was single when I started dating.”
The scam unraveled when the first victim lost contact with Yoshizawa and consulted the police. When asked why he continuously ignored police attempts to contact him during the investigation, he claimed he simply “forgot” to return their calls because he was “overwhelmed with my own life.”
Citing a high probability of reoffending and the habitual nature of his crimes, prosecutors are seeking a prison term of four years and six months.
The verdict was scheduled to be handed down on September 30.
