Category: Ho No Hana Sanpogyo

TOKYO, July 15–(Kyodo) _ A former leader of the Ho-no-Hana Sampogyo foot-reading cult was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Friday for swindling about 150 million yen out of 31 people who sought healing from illnesses and other problems between 1994 and 1997. Hogen Fukunaga, 60, whose real name is Teruyoshi Fukunaga, conspired with other cult executives to conduct a “foot-reading diagnosis” for the 31 people, lied to them that they have cancers and other serious diseases, and charged religious training fees to cure such diseases, according to the ruling of the Tokyo District Court. “It’s artful and vicious

Hogen Fukunaga, founder of the bankrupt Ho-ho-hana Sanpogyo cult, was ordered Friday to spend 12 years behind bars for swindling 31 people out of nearly 150 million yen under the pretext of religious training fees. The Tokyo District Court convicted Fukunaga, 60, whose real name is Teruyoshi Fukunaga, of fraud. Prosecutors had demanded that he be jailed for 13 years. The court also handed a four-year prison term to Akemi Maezawa, 41, a former senior member of the cult for conspiring with Fukunaga in the crime. Between 1994 and 1997, Fukunaga and senior cult members examined the bottoms of feet