In Virginia, a grand jury has elected to advance eight felony charges in a case against Stefan Koza, the former translator of Jujutsu Kaisen for English readers. The charges have been forward ahead of the case’s jury trial this summer and compound with the original charges filed when Koza was first arrested. Anime News Network confirmed with the Fairfax County Circuit Court that a jury trial will be held for this case in June though Koza’s representation declined to comment on the ongoing case.
For those unaware of the whole situation behind the legal case, you have to go back to December 2020. Police in Virginia arrested the translator on suspicion of possession and distribution of child pornography well over a year ago. At the time of his arrest, Koza was charged with five felony counts of possession and five of distribution.
In documenting the arrest, police records show Koza called 911 after cops came to his door to serve the arrest. He was told to let the authorities in, but before Koza did so, he escaped through his basement with computer parts which he threw into a wooded lot nearby. When he returned to his home, Koza was arrested, and police questioned his decision to toss computer parts. The report states Koza admittedly panicked and alleges the former translator removed the computer pieces to hide the torrented child pornography on his device.
This stateside arrest marks Koza’s second run-in with the law with his first happening in Japan circa 2014. During that July, Koza was arrested in Miyagi under suspicion of recording video in an elementary school’s dressing room. At the time, Koza denied the charges but was sentenced to probation and ordered to leave Japan.
Viz Media terminated Koza’s work contract following his arrest back in 2020. As for Jujutsu Kaisen, the series is still thriving both in Japan and stateside. Creator Gege Akutami has already put out several bangers in 2022, and translators like John Werry have taken over the project as of late. So if you want to binge the manga, you can find it available entirely on Manga Plus and Shonen Jump‘s digital vault via Viz Media right now!
What do you make of this ongoing case? Are you caught up with Jujutsu Kaisen these days? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
