Defendant described money as a “gift from God.”
They say truth is stranger than fiction, but sometimes truth is exactly as strange as fiction. Such was the case of a 43-year-old man who, shortly after having the worst day of his life, suddenly had the best day of his life in a twist of fate that might even be considered cliché if seen in a movie.
Earlier this year, the man, who lives in the city of Higashimatsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, was told that his cancer that had gone into remission was recurring, and he only had two or three months to live. He later described feeling as if he had given up on everything at that point and just wandered around aimlessly.
Not too long after that, at about noon on 5 March, a security crew was transporting the cash from a game center in the nearby city of Sendai. As they were loading it into an armored car, one of the guards dropped a bag, and they drove off without noticing it. Just then, the terminally ill man happened to be walking by and saw the satchel lying on the sidewalk.
▼ The area where the bag was found is rather busy.
He passed it at first, but curiosity got the better of him. He turned around, picked it up, and took it to a public restroom, where he pried it open with a craft knife to find 22 million yen (US$139,000) in cash. He said that at the time, he thought it “was a gift from God,” and for the next four and a half months, spent 18 million yen ($114,000) of the money on medical treatments and traveling abroad.
Naturally, the parties involved in losing the 22 million yen were determined to get it back. With the help of police, they eventually caught up with the man and arrested him for misappropriation of lost property in July.
On 19 October, his trial was held and lasted only one day, with the man admitting to the charges against him. In closing arguments, the prosecution described the man’s actions as “utterly selfish” and requested a one-year prison sentence, while the defense said that due to the man’s mental state at the time, a suspended sentence would be appropriate.
Sentencing is scheduled for 6 November, but the court of public opinion seems split on the matter of whether the man’s actions were excusable given his situation or a crime that deserves justice despite it.
“It wasn’t a gift from God. It was lost property, and he stole it.”
“I’d probably have done the same thing. It’s like something out of a manga.”
“It was the guards who lost the money. Can a judge really expect him to use sound judgment just after being told he was going to die?”
“He should have just turned it in. They probably would have given him a reward, and he could have enjoyed that guilt-free.”
“If I drop money on the street and someone takes it. I blame myself.”
“Is he even going to survive this trial?”
“I wonder if using the money on medical treatment helped.”
“Maybe the next gift from God will be a miracle cure. Then, he’ll have to work the rest of his life paying that money off.”
The firm in charge of transporting the money had the 22 million yen covered by insurance, and the man has already entered into an agreement with the insurance company to repay the money. According to the terms he must pay them 30,000 yen ($190) a month until the full amount is paid, which should take until sometime around the year 2076.
Source: Kahoku Shimpo, Hachima Kiko (1, 2), Home 5ch
Image: Pakutaso
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