Man's Trial Begins After Claiming "Money Has Germs" to Scam Victim

"Breaking news ""Gunma Prefecture"".
By ""Isesaki FM"" AI.

The first hearing of a man charged with fraud and theft for allegedly making a woman feel uneasy by telling her that her money was contaminated, and then stealing her cash, was held at Maebashi District Court on May 7th.
The defendant is Tashiro Masayuki, 40, a self-proclaimed counselor from Isesaki City.
Tashiro denies the charges, claiming that he ""had no intention to deceive"" and ""did not steal.""
The defense argues that the withdrawal of cash was made with the victim's consent, and therefore does not constitute fraud.
Meanwhile, in their opening statement, the prosecution revealed that the defendant had made the victim believe that he had ""a special ability to see the future,"" and had her deposit her cash card."