Referee Allegedly Stole Millions Meant For Child Victims Of Earthquake

When major disasters strike, millions if not billions of dollars are often moved around to help the victims. Sadly, there are a lot of people that will sometimes use the flow of cash to fill their own pockets.

That's what one sumo wrestling referee is being accused of in a new report from Nikkan Sports. According to the outlet, an unnamed referee from the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) was assigned the task of collecting tens of millions of Japanese yen every other month as part of their ongoing fundraising efforts for child victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan.

That referee is now accused of embezzling some of the money to fund a gambling habit. 

Nikkan Sports reported that the JSA asked the referee to disclose how much money he has collected, but the referee has refused. An investigation ensued and the JSA reportedly got him to confess that he had spent "tens of millions of yen on gambling and other things." 

"According to sources, during questioning by the compliance committee, the referee confessed that he had spent tens of millions of yen on gambling and other things. The association is continuing its investigation, and is expected to impose sanctions in June after approval by the board of directors. The crime of touching the sacred reserve fund set aside by the sumo wrestlers to support disaster victims is serious, and severe punishment is expected," the outlet reported, translated from Japanese via Google Translate.