Romi Hoshino sentenced to 3 years in prison, fined for total 72 million yen
The Fukuoka District Court handed down a guilty verdict on Wednesday to Romi Hoshino, a.k.a. Zakay Romi, the alleged administrator of Japanese-language manga piracy site Mangamura, on charges of copyright infringement and hiding criminal proceeds. 29-year-old Hoshino was sentenced to three years in prison, a fine of 10 million yen (about US$91,100), and an additional fine of 62 million yen (about US$565,000). The latter is based on the 62 million yen in revenue that Hoshino earned from the site and deposited to a foreign bank account.
A representative from Shueisha held a press conference after the verdict, and stated they believed the sentence was appropriate, and hoped the verdict would serve as a deterrent. The representative also said, “if the works that those who have given their all to…
