Hikaru UTADA has bigger problems than her weight

[Taro Toporific]

[floatl][/floatl]


Japanese Pop Queen's Mom In Fight With DEA
--Hikaru Utada's parent seeks return of $421k in seized "drug money"--
Smoking Gun
SEPTEMBER 27--The mother of one of Japan's biggest pop stars was recently caught with more than $400,000 in suspected drug proceeds as she tried to board a plane from New York to Las Vegas, according to federal prosecutors now seeking forfeiture of the funds. In March, screeners at JFK Airport discovered the money in the carry-on luggage of Junko Utada...more...

[GomiGirl]

Wow - whatta lotta Utada...

My assistant feels that following her surgery for cancer in her girly plumbing bits she gained the weight due to the hormone treatments. No links to confirm this.

[Socratesabroad]

Oh, how the mighty have fallen...

[Taro Toporific]

Oh, how the mighty have fallen...
http://www.jpopfrance.com/divers/plagiat/Skyblog%20de%20jpopfan%20%20La%20j-pop%20%5E_%5E_fichiers/164733640_small.jpg

In Hikaru's defense, this could just be tax evasion money and nothing to do with drug money. The police claim of cocaine traces on the money most likely is a joke ---all used $100 bills have drug traces on them.

[AssKissinger]

whatta lotta Utada

That was a good one Gomi.

Just remember folks there's many a man who'd rather bone up with the bigger version.

[Samurai_Jerk]

That was a good one Gomi.

Just remember folks there's many a man who'd rather bone up with the bigger version.

Word!

[Mulboyne]

It sounds like attempted tax evasion to me. Junko Utada was a singing star in her own right under the name Keiko Fuji. Here's an old picture:

[amdg]

Yeah, tax evasion is possible. But she was a bad, "jay smoking girl", even back in the day, wasn't she?

[Captain Japan]

[Greji]

Yeah, tax evasion is possible. But she was a bad, "jay smoking girl", even back in the day, wasn't she?

I don't recall that image, but it's not impossible. I was a great fan of hers and had the chance to meet at a friend's house. He was having a party to introduce a new book and she was invited as tinsel. I was really looking forward to meeting her and drooling down her dress front and all the nice associated things. What a shock, the broad is dumb as a clock. She was as conversant as a hedgerow and probably would have needed two or three more points on the IQ scale to qualify as a plant. It turns out slobbering was my only alternative.

Having said that, I do see where she could be used as a mule wittingly or not! But, I do have to say that this story smells a tad. How often do security screeners check you for money. I mean do they normally ask how much dust you're carrying? I suppose it is possible, but me thinks they were somebodies instrument, just used to get after her. "Called in the DEA"! Yup, they were probably around the corner waiting in the closet for the call!

[Choeki]

Just think - all this could have been avoided if she had simply declared that she had a number of currency instruments over 10K USD and filled out the required form.

Granted, she probably would have had a follow-up investigation on why she would have carried so much money in the first place (and/or an IRS audit), but at least she wouldn't have had to face forfeiture for failing to declare.

And yes, there are actually dogs that have been trained to sniff out currency.

[Blah Pete]

Just think - all this could have been avoided if she had simply declared that she had a number of currency instruments over 10K USD and filled out the required form.

Granted, she probably would have had a follow-up investigation on why she would have carried so much money in the first place (and/or an IRS audit), but at least she wouldn't have had to face forfeiture for failing to declare.

And yes, there are actually dogs that have been trained to sniff out currency.

She was on a NY-Las vegas flight. You only need the 10K USD declaration if you are on a international flight.
Never heard of currency limits on domestic flights, escpecially going to Lost Wages...

[Greji]

She was on a NY-Las vegas flight. You only need the 10K USD declaration if you are on a international flight.
Never heard of currency limits on domestic flights, escpecially going to Lost Wages...

That's what I'm saying Pete, it smells Yaocho all the way. They saw her coming!

[American Oyaji]

I'd love to tap her or her daughter.

[Marvin Feltcher]

Sorry!

[geronimo]

Having said that, I do see where she could be used as a mule wittingly or not! But, I do have to say that this story smells a tad. How often do security screeners check you for money. I mean do they normally ask how much dust you're carrying? I suppose it is possible, but me thinks they were somebodies instrument, just used to get after her. "Called in the DEA"! Yup, they were probably around the corner waiting in the closet for the call!

I dont know... they airport security idiots will go off on anything out of the ordinary and $400,000 in cash takes up a significant amount of space in a carry-on. They were probably rifling through her stuff like always and just found the cash...it was out of the ordinary so they got all bowed out like a small town sherrif that caught someone with out of state plates.

It isnt illegal to carry that kind of cash but in today's "Big-brother friendly" environment every law enforcement agency assumes you must be a terrorist or a drug dealer that is financing terrorists

[Kuang_Grade]

As a part of anti-drug money laundering efforts and then tightened up even more as supposedly anti-terrorist measure, various laws in the US have been tossed up to make it hard to carry much more than than a couple hundred dollars on your person without the possibly of incurring some suspicion and possible seizure. And the seizure laws are set up in such a way that the individual bears much of the balance of proof to prove that its legit money, not that the state needs to prove that its dirty money....and if one manges to proves it legit, one can then pretty much count on a real hard look over by the tax agencies, who are generally quite unhappy with people walking around large sums of untrackable cash. A few years back, former Senate leader Bob Dole got reported to federal banking authorities by his bank because he made weekly cash withdrawals of up to $8000 because he didn't like using credit cards to pay for things.

But Utada went cheap...With that much cash, she could have easily booked a flight a private plane and driven up to the plane and boarded with no search or suspicion. That much cash would be hard not to notice in any search of a carry on bag.

[GomiGirl]

I'd love to tap her or her daughter.

yeah good one Jack.. oops AO.

Yeah, tax evasion is possible. But she was a bad, "jay smoking girl", even back in the day, wasn't she?

So what?? It is a big leap from being a "jay smoking girl" to being a drug dealer laundering ill gotten gains.

As is having traces of cocaine on money to being a drung dealer.

The whole incident stinks.

[oyajikun]

It sounds like attempted tax evasion to me. Junko Utada was a singing star in her own right under the name Keiko Fuji. Here's an old picture:

Hey mutha, want anotha?

[Marvin Feltcher]

Sorry!

[Samurai_Jerk]

The whole incident stinks.

So does flying around with $400K+ in your luggage.

[Captain Japan]

The whole incident stinks.

Why?
Nikkan Sports has a story in Japanese but they just cite the Smoking Gun story.

[IkemenTommy]

Having to carry that much money is plain crazy. They are probably the typical Japanese carrying expensive designer bags with the huge "please rob me" sign written all over it. They should've had the money changed to personal check to avoid having to go through all of this.

Utada Hikaru fell off the face of the public since her last few CDs sucked and came up short. These people need the free publicity they can get.

[amdg]

So what?? It is a big leap from being a "jay smoking girl" to being a drug dealer laundering ill gotten gains.

As is having traces of cocaine on money to being a drung dealer.

The whole incident stinks.

It's a gateway drug, Gomi, a gateway drug.
You start off innocently sharing a few J's with a friend and end up trying to take a carry-bag full of mixed currency to an orphanage in Vegas, the name of which you don't know.

[American Oyaji]

yeah good one Jack.. oops AO.

Come on GG. Don't be like that!

Just because I'm abstaining doesn't mean I don't desire a roll in the hay as it were. Nor does it mean I don't find women attractive.

I just struggle mightily NOT to act on my desires.

I've not always been the nice guy I am today. It's BECAUSE of my past that I strive to be a nice guy.

But even nice guys get horny.
Usually very.

[GomiGirl]

Come on GG. Don't be like that!

Just because I'm abstaining doesn't mean I don't desire a roll in the hay as it were. Nor does it mean I don't find women attractive.

I just struggle mightily NOT to act on my desires.

I've not always been the nice guy I am today. It's BECAUSE of my past that I strive to be a nice guy.

But even nice guys get horny.
Usually very.

uurrgghh TMI - tell it to your therapist...

My point was that nice guys dont talk like this...

[Samurai_Jerk]

uurrgghh TMI - tell it to your therapist...

My point was that nice guys dont talk like this...

Nice guys also don't get laid.

[AssKissinger]

Nice guys also don't get laid.

Yes, they do. I never used anything but honest and sincere techniques to get laid in my life. I never stabbed my buddies in the back, cockblocked my friends or lied to a chick to get laid. I've come on aggressively at chicks but at the first sign that I was making her uncomfortable I would back off. I always took that attitude that I wouldn't want to fuck a girl who wasn't interested in the real me so I always dressed how I wanted to and acted how I wanted to. I got laid enough. To me nampa just meant having a good time together not some kind of devious bullshit. That would take all the fun out of it.

[American Oyaji]

uurrgghh TMI - tell it to your therapist...

My point was that nice guys dont talk like this...

Yeah they do. Just careful not to do it when ladies are around.

And if they dont, they think it.

But your point is well taken. I shall consider myself scolded.

[Greji]

Yes, they do. I never used anything but honest and sincere techniques to get laid in my life. I never stabbed my buddies in the back, cockblocked my friends or lied to a chick to get laid. I've come on aggressively at chicks but at the first sign that I was making her uncomfortable I would back off. I always took that attitude that I wouldn't want to fuck a girl who wasn't interested in the real me so I always dressed how I wanted to and acted how I wanted to. I got laid enough. To me nampa just meant having a good time together not some kind of devious bullshit. That would take all the fun out of it.

And the check's in the mail....