Notorious Boss Of 'Extremely Violent' Yakuza Gang Became Priest After Snitching To FBI

Known as the "John Gotti of Japan," one of Japan's most prominent crime bosses left the underworld and took up the priest.

Yakuza head Tadamasa Goto was supposedly forced into retirement by his superiors after turning out the Japanese mafia to the FBI in exchange for a life-saving procedure.

Goto, who had a history of extreme violence, made a fortune via prostitution, protection gangs, and white-collar crime.

His Yakuza organization, Yamaguchi-Gumi, was known for horrific acts of violence, including beating victims in front of their families and bulldozing companies that refused to pay protection money, according to The Guardian.

The publication added that leaked police documents claimed that "in order to achieve his goals, [Goto] uses any and all means necessary or possible. He also uses a carrot-and-stick approach to keep his soldiers in line. His group is capable of extremely violent and aggressive acts".

According to reports, the gang was known for its extensive drinking and drug use, and Goto acknowledged as much in his autobiography, "Habakarinagara," where he said that he "drank enough to destroy three livers."

A choice that proved to be his undoing.

Goto required a liver transplant in order to save his life, but a criminal record prevented him from obtaining a visa to travel for the surgery. He apparently reached an agreement with the FBI as a result.

Goto received a visa and the life-saving procedure in exchange for revealing crucial details regarding yakuza front firms, the names of influential criminals, and the mob's connections to North Korea.

He was treated at UCLA Medical Center in 2001 after moving to the top of the transplant waiting list and giving a $100,000 donation.

Over a period of time when many hundred local patients died while waiting for transplants, the Los Angeles hospital gave liver transplants to four Japanese gang members in total.

But according to reports, the former head of the FBI's Asian criminal enterprise branch, Goto "provided little useful information."

The deal was exposed in 2008 by reporter Jake Adelstein, who also published a follow-up article in the LA Times.

Goto then abruptly disappeared from the Yamaguchi-Gumi a few months later in 2008. According to rumors, he was reportedly forced into retirement by the Kobe headquarters' ruling group, which was commanded by Kiyoshi Takayama of the Kodo-kai.

In September of that year, Goto also angered his superiors by becoming the focus of multiple media publications after inviting several celebrities to his extravagant birthday parties.

In October 2008, the Yamaguchi-Gumi leadership formally acknowledged his expulsion.

The underworld lord also decided to become a priest in 2009, turning away from his previous life of crime. Despite the transition, there have been rumors that he stayed in organized crime.

He was compared to the American gangster and head of the Gambino crime family John Gotti because of the authority he gained and his gang's antics. The famed mafia boss was once one of the most influential men in New York.