Staffing firm CEO, others arrested for laundering investment scam funds via cryptocurrency

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.

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东京（TR）——据《朝日新闻》（10月8日）报道，本周，由东京警视厅和网络犯罪部门组成的联合工作组逮捕了大阪府一家人力资源公司的36岁CEO和另外两人，他们涉嫌使用加密货币为诈骗团伙洗钱数百万日元。

位于泉佐野市的人力资源公司Weather的负责人田中圭介因涉嫌违反《有组织犯罪处罚法》隐瞒犯罪所得而被警方拘留。警方还计划将他的公司移交检方，调查其在该案中的角色。

调查人员称，田中及其同伙于2024年2月16日与一个诈骗团伙合谋。嫌疑人涉嫌将440万日元（其中包括从社交媒体投资诈骗受害者处骗取的资金）存入一个公司银行账户。随后，这些资金被兑换成数字资产，并转回给了诈骗分子。

警方认为田中团伙以“Aitaiya”为名，从事未注册的地下加密货币经纪业务。该团伙绕过了正规交易所严格的身份验证和监控，为那些试图洗钱的诈骗分子提供了一个安全的避风港。

洗钱过程高度协调。据调查人员透露，嫌疑人利用非法所得在日本国内交易所购买比特币。随后，这些比特币被转移到海外交易所，兑换成稳定币泰达币（Tether），并通过中间人网络回流至诈骗团伙。

与该计划有关，警方还逮捕了另外三人，其中包括一名 45 岁的东京男子，其职业不明，据称他是非法加密货币转移的主要中间人。

东京警方仍在继续调查，怀疑这六人以公司名义，使用同样的方法洗钱约 9100 万日元，其中包括从全国 30 名受害者那里骗取的资金。

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