"Will Make You a Celebrity" 60s Man Who Took Tens of Millions, Suspended Sentence in First Trial

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] A man in his 60s who deceived parents by promising to make their children celebrities and swindled tens of millions of won was sentenced to a suspended prison term in the first trial.

According to the court on the 16th, Judge Lee Jae-kyung of the Criminal Division 10 at the Seoul Southern District Court sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on charges of fraud, to 10 months in prison with a 2-year suspension.

Mr. A was prosecuted on charges of deceiving victims around November to December 2015 by saying, "To make your son a celebrity, tuition fees and other costs are necessary," and swindling about 66 million won in total. Mr. A claimed that he did not deceive the victims, stating that he actually supported the victim’s son by providing acting coaching or sponsoring about 10 million won so that the son could appear as a supporting actor in a drama.

However, the court did not accept the defendant’s claims, citing that there were only two celebrities affiliated with the entertainment agency Mr. A operated at the time, and that there were no funds to run the company other than the money received from the victims.

The court explained the sentencing reason, saying, "The defendant committed fraud by exploiting the desperate feelings of the victims who had children aspiring to be actors, which is a serious offense," and "considering the fact that he has a prior record of punishment for similar crimes."

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