Man held for using part of mistakenly paid COVID-19 funds
12:06 JST, May 19, 2022
YAMAGUCHI (Jiji Press) — A 24-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for allegedly using part of the COVID-19 relief funds totaling ¥46.3 million mistakenly paid to him by a western Japan town.
The Yamaguchi prefectural police arrested Sho Taguchi, a resident of the town of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on suspicion of computer fraud.
He had been under intense media attention for weeks as he repeatedly rejected the town’s request to return the funds that were intended for 463 other local households but paid mistakenly into his bank account.
According to the arrest warrant, Taguchi is suspected of obtaining an illegal profit April 12 by transferring ¥4 million out of the 46.3-million-yen funds to an account that a payment service company had opened at a Tokyo financial institution.
He is believed to have executed the transfer through an online payment service by operating a smartphone, though he knew that the funds had been paid into his bank account by mistake, the warrant said.
According to the Yamaguchi police, Taguchi has admitted the allegations and claimed to have used up the mistakenly paid funds through online gambling. The police will investigate where the money other than the ¥4 million went.
The relief funds were paid under a central government program to provide a cash benefit of ¥100,000 per household to support low-income households hit by the novel coronavirus crisis.
On April 22, the Abu government said that it remained unable to recover from the man the funds paid mistakenly earlier in the month. Last week, the town disclosed his name and filed a lawsuit with the Hagi branch of Yamaguchi District Court to seek the return of the money.
"Society" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
-
U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
-
JAL Airplane Experiences Radio Malfunction During Flight, Lands Safely By Relying on Light Signals
-
Cherry tree falls on man on Sanneizaka steps leading to famous Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto
-
Strong Earthquake Rocks Southern Part of Kyushu; No Risk of a Tsunami
JN ACCESS RANKING
- China Mutes Memorialization of Reformer Hu Yaobang; Memories Could Spark Critique of Xi Administration
- Shinkansen Services Suspended After Man ‘Searches for Phone’ on Tracks; Disruption Affects About 14,000 Passengers
- U.S. 7th Fleet officer Arrested on Suspicion of Stealing Sushi, Sashimi, Chicken at Kanagawa Shopping Mall; Suspect Caught Mid-Meal
- UNRWA Director Describes Catastrophic Destruction in Gaza; Says Relief Trucks Robbed, ‘People’s Hearts Destroyed’
- JAL Airplane Experiences Radio Malfunction During Flight, Lands Safely By Relying on Light Signals