Former finance manager jailed for role in $20m Ponzi scheme
Friday 25 September 2026 · 3 outlets · 3 reports · updated 
Yuko Hanyu has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for her involvement in investment schemes at East Wind Company Limited. The schemes targeted members of the Japanese community, resulting in losses exceeding $20 million. Hanyu was also ordered to pay $691,000 in reparations.
Key facts
5 facts
- Yuko Hanyu sentenced to 6 years and 4 months in prison
- Ordered to pay $691,000 in reparations
- Ponzi schemes cost investors over $20 million
- Hanyu stole over $800,000 for personal use
- East Wind collapsed in February 2019
The full story
1 min read · 3 outlets
Yuko Hanyu has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for her involvement in Ponzi schemes that defrauded investors of more than $20 million. The former finance manager of East Wind Company Limited was sentenced in the Auckland District Court on Thursday. Hanyu was also ordered to pay $691,000 in reparations.
A jury found Hanyu guilty in April on 10 charges related to her work at East Wind. These charges included four representative charges of false statement of a promoter, two representative charges of obtaining by deception, and one charge of theft by a person in a special relationship. Hanyu managed the company's finance department from 2004 until December 2017.
Hanyu worked with director Masatomo Ashikaga, also known as Tom Tanaka, to obtain money using false statements about investment products and promised returns. The Group Term Deposit and Waterloo Fund were used as Ponzi schemes where new investor money repaid existing investors. The schemes targeted the Japanese community, including many investors based overseas.
Hanyu also stole more than $800,000 from East Wind to pay for her mortgage and personal credit card. East Wind collapsed and entered liquidation in February 2019 following the death of Ashikaga. Hanyu must serve a minimum of two years and six months before becoming eligible for parole.
Where reports differ
- One report specifies the exact nature of the 10 charges, while another refers to them generally as charges relating to her work at the company
Compiled from reports by Stuff, 1News and NZ Herald.