"Fortune Teller Who Scammed 1.6 Billion Won Claiming 'Building Sadang Will Improve Father's Health' Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Shin-won] A shaman who deceived customers and embezzled about 1.6 billion KRW was sentenced to four years in prison in the first trial.

On the 13th, the Criminal Division 12 of Ulsan District Court (Chief Judge Kim Gwan-bu) sentenced Mr. A (49), who was tried for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud), to four years in prison and ordered the confiscation of 600 million KRW.

In 2017, Mr. A exploited the fact that Mr. B, a customer who believed in him and a small business owner, was worried about his father's health, saying, "I dreamed that if I build a shrine, my father's life will be extended. If you give me 500 million KRW, I will build the shrine," and received 500 million KRW.

Besides this, Mr. A deceived Mr. B by saying things like "I will request to win a local government project" and "Give me the money needed to buy stocks to resolve a management dispute," embezzling about 1.6 billion KRW in total.

It was investigated that Mr. A committed the crime by exploiting Mr. B's gradually dependent attitude as he consulted about business or family problems.

The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "The defendant arbitrarily used the embezzled money to repay his lover's debts," and "Considering the circumstances of the crime, the amount of damage, the bad nature of the crime, and the fact that no settlement was reached with the victim."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.