Foreign National Indicted In Wire Fraud Scheme

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Ken-ichi Larroza Hatakama (36, Philippines), with wire fraud. If convicted, Hatakama faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Hatakama that the United States intends to forfeit $562,569.37, which are alleged to be the proceeds of the offense.

According to the indictment, Hatakama, a citizen and national of the Philippines, worked remotely assisting Victim Company (“VC”) with their computer coding. While working on VC’s computer coding, Hatakama embedded malicious code into VC’s computer coding, causing payments intended for VC’s partners to be rerouted to dozens of fraudulent PayPal accounts he controlled. Through this scheme, Hatakama stole over $500,000 from VC.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.