Ex-employee of Japan firm arrested over gold leaf orders, alleged 30 mil. yen resale
SAITAMA -- A former employee of a prepared-food company near Tokyo was arrested Nov. 11 for allegedly placing unnecessary orders for gold leaf and cau
Former Kantoh Diet Cook Co. employee Shinsuke Sudo, 42, was arrested on November 11 for allegedly placing excessive orders for gold leaf and causing financial losses to the firm, Saitama Prefectural Police reported. The Saitama-based company manufactures and sells prepared food items. Sudo, a former acting manager of the purchasing department, is accused of ordering 180,000 sheets of gold leaf over a five-year period starting in March 2021, resulting in 75.21 million yen (approximately $471,000) in losses for the company.
He allegedly sold about 30 million yen (around $188,000) worth of the gold leaf to purchasing shops outside Saitama Prefecture. Police claim Sudo specifically ordered 3,000 sheets of edible gold leaf, causing losses by transferring 1.23 million yen (approximately $7,700) to a supplier on April 30 and May 31, 2021. Sudo reportedly admitted to the allegations to investigators, stating he was struggling to repay his debts and also spent the money on horse racing and foreign exchange margin trading.
The company did not produce any food products using gold leaf. The misconduct was discovered in March 2026 when a company accountant noticed irregularities while reviewing financial statements. Sudo was dismissed for disciplinary reasons in the spring of that year.
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