U.S. files civil action to return $150 million in embezzled funds to Sony

SAN DIEGO - The Department of Justice announced today that it has filed a civil complaint in San Diego federal court to return more than $154 million allegedly stolen from a subsidiary of Sony by one of its employees.

The civil forfeiture complaint alleges that Sony Life Insurance Company Ltd. employee Rei Ishii embezzled funds from the company in May and diverted them to an account he controlled at a La Jolla bank. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Ishii moved the funds by falsifying transaction instructions when the Tokyo-based company attempted to transfer funds between its accounts.

Ishii, w...