“ルフィ”事件じけん 幹部かんぶとされる被告ひこくの初はつ公判こうはん 起訴きそ内容ないよう認みとめる

The trial has begun for a defendant believed to be a leader of the group involved in a series of large-scale robberies, in which a coordinator calling themselves Luffy is said to have recruited perpetrators through dark part-time jobs on social media.

The defendant is charged with aiding and abetting robbery resulting in bodily injury for introducing the perpetrator, and admitted to all the charges, stating, There is no mistake.

Kojima Tomonobu 47, who is considered one of the executives of the Luffy Group, is accused of aiding and abetting robbery resulting in injury and other crimes. He allegedly introduced perpetrators to other executives in connection with three robbery cases that occurred three years ago in Inagi City, Tokyo, and other locations. He is believed to have acted as a recruiter, gathering perpetrators through illegal part-time job offers.

At the first trial held at the Tokyo District Court on the 1st, the defendant stated, Thats correct, and admitted to all the charges.

Of the four people who are said to be leaders of the group indicted in connection with a series of incidents, Kojima is the first defendant whose trial has started. The focus will be on how much the actual situation of the group and the flow of funds will be revealed in future trials.

The verdict is scheduled to be delivered on the 23rd of this month.

The Luffy Group refers to a series of wide-area robberies that occurred in various locations from 2022 to the following year, allegedly committed by the so-called Luffy Group. Four individuals—Masato Imamura 41, Yuki Watanabe 41, Seiya Fujita 41, and Tomonobu Kojima 47—are said to have orchestrated these crimes from an immigration facility in the Philippines where they were being held, by giving instructions via highly secure communication apps to perpetrators recruited through dark part-time jobs on social media.

In January the year before last, following the death of a 90-year-old woman in Komae City, Tokyo, connections to other incidents emerged. In the eight main cases under investigation, where the perpetrators were the same, those who gave the orders have been prosecuted.

The group is believed to have repeatedly committed fraud targeting Japan from around 2018, operating out of the Philippines, swindling over 6 billion yen, and later becoming involved in robbery cases.

According to investigators, in the series of widespread robberies, defendant Imamura is believed to have played a central role, giving instructions to the perpetrators under the names Luffy and Mitsuhashi.

Defendant Watanabe, who was identified as the ringleader of the special fraud group, used the name sugar and was involved from the planning stage, but it is believed that there were few instances where he actually gave instructions for the robberies.

Fujita, the defendant, is believed to have used the name Kim when giving instructions.

Kojima, the defendant, was in charge of collecting and managing the money obtained through special fraud, and in three of the series of robberies—in Inagi City, Tokyo; Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture; and Nakano Ward, Tokyo—he served as a recruiter, gathering perpetrators through underground part-time job schemes.

Kojima, the defendant, has been indicted on charges including aiding and abetting robbery resulting in injury and attempted robbery, for allegedly introducing other gang members as perpetrators in three robbery cases that occurred in Tokyo and Yamaguchi three years ago.

Specifically, in October 2022, a perpetrator disguised as a delivery worker broke into a house in Inagi City, Tokyo, assaulted three residents including a woman, and committed a robbery and assault, stealing approximately 35 million yen in cash and other valuables.

Attempted robbery in which the perpetrator broke into a house in Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Prefecture in November 2022 and threatened the resident with a box cutter in an attempt to steal money and valuables.

Moreover, it is said that they each assisted in the robbery and assault case in which, in December 2022, a perpetrator pretending to be a delivery worker broke into a residence in Nakano Ward, Tokyo, injured the male resident, and stole approximately 32 million yen in cash.

In addition, Kojima, the defendant, is also charged with fraud for conspiring with accomplices to impersonate a police officer over the phone and swindling more than 38 million yen in cash from the victim. He is also charged with theft for using cash cards received from nine victims, whom he called while posing as officials from the Financial Services Agency and others, to withdraw a total of over 15 million yen from ATMs.