A federal grand jury has indicted Tsunemasa Otsuji, a Japan-bound passenger who was arrested last May 17 for allegedly carrying $40,000 cash in his luggage without declaring the currency at the Francisco C. Ada\/Saipan International Airport. <\/p>\n
The indictment charged Otsuji with one count of bulk cash smuggling out of the United States. The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of the cash to the U.S. government.<\/p>\n
The indictment was filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the NMI.<\/p>\n
According to the indictment, on May 16, 2016 on Saipan, Otsuji with the intent to evade a currency reporting requirement under the U.S. Code, knowingly concealed more than $10,000 in currency and other monetary instruments in an article of luggage.<\/p>\n
Otsuji allegedly attempted to transport or transfer such currency and monetary instruments from a place within the U.S. to a place outside of the U.S. in violation of the U.S. Code.<\/p>\n
Federal agents served Otsuji with an arrest warrant last May 17 after the Department of Homeland Security filed a criminal complaint charging him with one count of bulk cash smuggling.<\/p>\n
Otsuji is out on bail.<\/p>\n
DHS Homeland Security Investigations special agent Everette Route stated in an affidavit that on May 16 he received a call from supervisory U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Mark Layman about Otsuji, who during a screening process had been flagged with carrying undeclared currency possibly over $10,000.<\/p>\n
Otsuji was scheduled to depart from the Saipan International Airport last May 16 at 4:30pm aboard Delta Airlines flight #297, and fly directly to Narita, Japan. <\/p>\n
Route said during a consent search of Otsuji\u2019s golf bag, a CBP officer found eight 100 bundles of $50 bills equaling $5,000 each and totaling $40,000.<\/p>\n
The money was wrapped inside tour pamphlets inside the golf bag.<\/p>\n
Route said according to Otsuji the money was given to him by Yamaguchi, who allegedly owns a construction and real estate company in Japan.<\/p>\n
Route said Otsuji claimed that Yamaguchi asked him to carry the money back to Japan for him.<\/p>\n
Otsuji stated that Yamaguchi was also traveling back to Japan on the same flight with him and that he did not know why he did not carry the money himself.<\/p>\n
He said Yamaguchi asked him to carry the money and give it back to him when they got to Japan.<\/p>\n
Otsuji stated he did not know he had to declare the money on Saipan, but that he would declare the amount in Japan.<\/p>\n
Route said asked why he put $0 in the form, Otsuji explained he did not read the form carefully. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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