NAGANO (TR) – A court here this week handed a former employee at insurance company MetLife Insurance K.K. a prison term for defrauding customers out of a total of nearly 75 million yen through false investment schemes, reports Nagano TV (Mar. 19).
On Thursday, the Nagano District Court handed Takanori Kobayashi, 39, a six-year prison term for fraud. The prosecution had sought a seven year term.
According to the indictment and other documents, Kobayashi defrauded at least 10 male and female MetLife Insurance customers of 74.78 million yen by offering them fictitious investment schemes between 2021 and 2023.
In one example, the defendant falsely promised a victim that they could receive a monthly dividend of 140,000 yen if they deposited 7 million yen.
Presiding judge Masashi Sakata stated that “the crime was a habitual offense that exploited the trust of customers, making the criminal responsibility heavy and deserving of severe condemnation.”
“Despicable crime”
During the trial, the prosecution stated that it was a “despicable crime that exploited a long-standing relationship of trust with the victim and trampled on her feelings.”
Meanwhile, the defense sought leniency, arguing that the crime was for the benefit of the Kobayashi’s clients and that he surrendered to the police.
As Kobayashi left the courtroom, he turned to the spectators section and, with tears in his eyes, bowed his head and said, “I will definitely compensate the victims. I am truly sorry.”
Takanori Kobayashi
Heavily in debt
On social media, Kobayashi out on display a life of immense luxury. In one photo, he sips champagne in a lounge at high-end hotel overseas. In another, he is dressed in a tuxedo and in the company of three women in evening dresses.
However, that image was not real.
On March 16, three days before the sentence was handed down, he spoke to TV Shinshu from a detention facility. “I feel sorry for the customers I deceived. I’m filled with regret and remorse,” he said through tears.
As the interview went on, however, his tone gradually became more cheerful. “I was so distraught about the money I swindled that I said 300 million yen in court, but I think it was actually around 500 to 700 million yen.”
He stated that during the period cited by indictment, he was collecting money for the benefit of his clients and had no sense of deception or that he was committing a crime. As well, although he appeared to be living a lavish lifestyle, he was actually heavily in debt and had almost no money on him just before his arrest.
Make amends
One woman claimed she was swindled out of 25 million yen by Kobayashi in 2020. She told the network, “I feel sorry for him. To be honest, I deeply regret being deceived and going ahead with it, but if you ask me if I resent him, I don’t; I just want him to make amends,” she said.
Kobayashi told the network that he will not appeal, stating that he wants to “return to society as soon as possible and repay the full amount.”
