"If You Don't Pay, We'll Expose Your Visits to Sex Trade Establishments"…Gang of Extortionists Sentenced to Prison

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] A gang involved in extortion by threatening to reveal records of visits to prostitution establishments and prostitution videos was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

Judge Park Jun-min of the Seoul Eastern District Court Criminal Division 4 sentenced A, a man in his 20s charged with extortion, to three years in prison. He also announced on the 3rd that B, a man in his 30s and an accomplice, was sentenced to two years in prison with a three-year probation period.

They were indicted on charges of conspiring with C, the ringleader of the extortion gang, from August 2019 to February last year, threatening victims by saying, "We have records of visits to prostitution establishments and prostitution videos; if you do not send money, we will distribute them to your family and acquaintances," and extorting a total of 219.6 million won from victims in four installments.

A acted as the executor of threats by purchasing dummy bank accounts and dummy phones under C's instructions and calling numerous unspecified individuals, while B managed the dummy bank accounts, transferring, withdrawing, and distributing the deposited money as the financial manager.

They first purchased records of visits to prostitution establishments containing contact information of employees, then used KakaoTalk and other means to obtain personal information and threaten victims, according to the investigation.

The court explained the sentencing by stating, "The crimes were committed repeatedly and systematically over a considerable period targeting unspecified or multiple victims," and "considering efforts to restore the damage to victims."

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