TOKYO (TR) – A joint task force including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and cybercrime units this week arrested the 36-year-old CEO of an Osaka Prefecture staffing company and two others for allegedly laundering millions of yen for a fraud ring using cryptocurrency, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Oct. 8).
Keisuke Tanaka, head of the Izumisano City-based staffing firm Weather, was taken into custody on suspicion of violating the Organized Crime Punishment Law by concealing criminal proceeds. Police also plan to refer his company to prosecutors over its role in the scheme.
Investigators allege that Tanaka and his accomplices colluded with a scam group on February 16, 2024. The suspects allegedly received 4.4 million yen — including funds fleeced from victims of SNS-based investment scams — into a company bank account. The money was then converted into digital assets and routed back to the fraudsters.
Police believe Tanaka’s group operated as unregistered underground crypto brokers, known as “Aitaiya.” By bypassing the strict identity verification and monitoring required by legitimate exchanges, the group provided a safe haven for scammers looking to wash their dirty money.
The laundering process was highly coordinated. According to investigative sources, the suspects used the illicit cash to purchase Bitcoin on domestic Japanese exchanges. The Bitcoin was then transferred to overseas exchanges, swapped for the stablecoin Tether, and funneled back to the scam ring through a network of brokers.
In connection with the scheme, police also arrested three other individuals, including a 45-year-old Tokyo man of unknown occupation who allegedly acted as the primary middleman in the illicit crypto transfers.
Tokyo police are continuing the investigation, suspecting that the six individuals — acting as a company — laundered a total of approximately 91 million yen using this same method, including funds swindled from 30 victims across the country.
