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, has entered a guilty plea in federal court and was sentenced to probation for one year.<\/p>\n
Otsuji, through his counsel Colin Thompson, on Friday afternoon pleaded guilty to the information charging him with one count of failure to report exporting monetary instruments.<\/p>\n
Thompson read for the record defendant\u2019s medical certification.<\/p>\n
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona received the medical certification record and ordered it be filed under seal.<\/p>\n
Manglona ordered the defendant to pay a $2,000 fine and $100 in court assessment fee.<\/p>\n
Manglona ordered that based on the plea agreement, Otsuji forfeit his interest in $20,000 out of the $40,000 that was seized from him at the time of his arrest.<\/p>\n
The judge granted assistant U.S. attorney Russell H. Lorfing\u2019s motion to dismiss the indictment and vacated the jury trial set for Aug. 23, 2016.<\/p>\n
The indictment charged the defendant with one count of bulk cash smuggling out of the United States.<\/p>\n
Otsuji waived his right to prosecution by indictment and consented to prosecution by information.<\/p>\n
The information charged the defendant with one count of failure to report exporting monetary instruments.<\/p>\n
Lorfing recommended a one-year probation sentence. He moved for a preliminary order of forfeiture in the amount of $20,000 and stated that this amount would be taken out of the $40,000 that was confiscated.<\/p>\n
Thompson concurred with the U.S. government\u2019s recommendation and did not object to the forfeiture of $20,000.<\/p>\n
Thompson informed the court that Otsuji would be leaving the island voluntarily.<\/p>\n
According to the information, on May 16, 2016, on Saipan, Otsuji knowingly attempted to transport more than $10,000 in currency and other monetary instruments from a place within the United States to a place outside of the U.S. <\/p>\n
At the time Otsuji attempted to transport the currency, he knew that he was required to report currency in excess of $10,000 to the Secretary of Treasury but knowingly failed to file such a report in violation of the law.<\/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 then posted 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 \u201c$0\u201d in the form, Otsuji explained he did not read the form carefully. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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