Roppongi, Tokyo’s Dead Zone…
This has become an increasing familiar story in one of Tokyo’s dozens of sleaze districts but Vietnamese-American Matthew Littauer, who operates a just plain-old accounting consulting firm was stabbed to death. NOTHING will be done and the police will ignore this because the Japanese police don’t like “getting involved”–it’s disturbs the “Wa” meh.
A foreign male was found stabbed in Tokyo’s Roppongi district Thursday night and later died, police said early Friday. The police said the man died of multiple stab wounds after being found on the third floor of a building in Minato Ward at around 11:10 p.m. [Thursday, Dec 2]
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December 29th, 2004 at 7:50 pm
Its very unusual, knowing matthew as my former boss will not get an office with no security etc. There must be something behind this!
February 3rd, 2005 at 4:35 pm
I think the Police is doing all that they can.
The thing is, MATTHEW LITTAUER was a financial con-artist who dealt with a lot of unsavory people. Of course, he scammed a lot of people too. But the thing is, I think the one who killed him was much closer – as in, family. How we discounted someone in his family willing and wanting to get rid of him. Poor devil.
February 3rd, 2005 at 9:54 pm
Well, you’re the first person who has said anything about the whole thing to me…and I’ve been asking around for some time. The financial folks I talk to are rather straight-shooters and had no idea of the “unsavory people” you speak of. It sounds like somebody got away with murder here.
July 25th, 2005 at 1:33 pm
Matthew was a penny stock fraudster who tricked “clients”, partners and employees and many times dealt with mafia types. This is not surprising at all.
June 14th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
Matthew Nguyen Littauer (CRD #2027330, Registered
Principal, Central Hong Kong, China) submitted a Letter of
Acceptance, Waiver, and Consent in which he was fined
$20,000 and suspended from association with any NASD
member in any capacity for 30 days. Without admitting or
denying the allegations, Littauer consented to the described
sanctions and to the entry of findings that he allowed a member
firm to open new customer accounts using his representative
number with the firm for public customers whose new accounts
were solicited by persons not registered with the firm. The
findings also stated that Littauer allowed the firm to use his
representative number on transactions for public customers that
were solicited by persons not registered with the firm and who
provided the firm with instructions for the transactions. NASD
also found that the firm did not have written authorization from
the customer that was approved by a principal of the firm,
authorizing the firm to accept the trade authorization from the
unregistered person, and Littauer failed to speak with the
customers about the transactions prior to their execution.
Furthermore, NASD found that Littauer’s actions of allowing the
firm to use his registered representative number in this manner
caused the firm to create and maintain inaccurate books and
records reflecting that Littauer was the registered representative
for the customers who solicited the new accounts and
transactions.
Littauer’s suspension began August 18, 2003, and will
conclude at the close of business September 17, 2003. (NASD
Case #CAF030037)
June 14th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
The source seems to be the mysterious, “NASD Investor Education Foundation” and this PDF .
After a little googling, I also found this unsubstantiated claim on RRBDLAW.COM, which may or may not be real.
__________________
I cannot tell whether these websites are real or just some kind of weird libel by someone with an ax to grind even though Littauer has been dead since Dec. 2004, meh.
June 18th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Noted that Littauer was killed over two years ago, but never saw any follow-up in respect to the killer(s) being brought to justice or, in fact, any follow-up in the press.
I thought the NASD publication might have some connection to what ever led Littauer to his fate. Both NASD RRBDLAW are legitimate.
Just surprised to hear nothing after the tragedy.
June 18th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
I’m not surprised to hear nothing. The Japanese Police Agency is better described as the “WA” Police—that is, they defend the status quo against disruptions and gaijin/foreigners are disruption that at best “gone” (aka dead or missing) if their embassy or international press doesn’t make a big stink. Japanese police refuse to enforce 99.99999999% of their vague laws for the environment, noise pollution, toxic waste, construction fraud, medical maleficience, etc.
August 12th, 2007 at 1:35 am
I knew Matthew a long time ago and just found out that he was killed. Was he a conman? Was he cheating people? What was he like? Does anyone here know?
August 13th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Hi Keiko!
Gee, since you actually knew Matthew you know A LOT more than me (I never met him). Please tell us more about what you think happened to him.
His killer(s) were never found, but many rumors (true or untrue) have been spread about him. The police are not interested in his murder so perhaps the public will never know.
The rumor about him making investments for others “illegally” is probably true, but that’s often done by honest gaijin traders in Tokyo wth offices in Hong Kong because Japanese investment laws are silly-strict (and anti-gaijin). Even big companies like the predecessor of e-Trade Japan before they had full operations in Japan, was engaged in making investments for gaijin client in Tokyo and hiding the trades in their Hong Kong account.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:21 pm
I have to disagree with you as far as the Japanese investment laws being “silly-strict” and the use of Hong Kong accounts. I believe the lawsa you are referring to are the Anti-Money Laundering Laws that have been strenghtened globally. A famous incident took place where a Japanese investor was using Hong Kong accounts to launder money through a large swiss investment bank and a Japanese affiliated bank in Hong Kong. These are not unusually strict laws and ar equite standard.
I would also like to hear more about what Keiko knows of Matthew. But, lets stick to facts.
August 29th, 2007 at 9:25 pm
One more thing, honest foreign traders do not use off-shore accounts in HK to process trades. We (yes I am involved in the financial industry in Tokyo), will work with our colleagues overseas, but we will fully disclose, accounts, trades, contracts to local management/ regulators or face the high probability of being sanctioned or shut down. Anyone doing otherwise is conducting an illegal business and is probably stealing or laundering money.