NAGOYA, Apr 22 (News On Japan) - The Nagoya District Court delivered a severe sentence on Monday to Mai Watanabe, 25, who operated under the alias "Itadakijoshi Riri-chan (Riri the sugar baby)" and was charged with fraudulently obtaining cash from men. She has been sentenced to nine years in prison and fined 8 million yen.
According to the indictment, Watanabe met three men, including a 50-year-old, through a matchmaking app and manipulated their affections to swindle them out of more than 150 million yen in total. Additionally, she failed to declare this income, leading to charges of evading approximately 40 million yen in taxes.
Watanabe's method was both simple and effective. She targeted middle-aged men, establishing relationships and nurturing their affection towards her. Over time, she convinced these men to lend or give her significant sums of money under various pretexts. The relationships were built and maintained through the digital platforms, which allowed her to manage multiple victims simultaneously without arousing suspicion.
Watanabe's activities eventually caught the attention of law enforcement authorities, leading to her arrest and subsequent trial. The prosecution argued not only the scale of the financial fraud but also highlighted Watanabe's failure to report her ill-gotten gains, leading to significant tax evasion. Her actions were meticulously documented through bank records, digital communication logs, and victim testimonies, which played a crucial role in her conviction.
Source: ANN
