"Luxury Viola Made in the 19th Century"... Suspended Sentence for Fraudulent Seller of Over 100 Million Won
[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A man in his 50s who was charged with deceiving parents of prospective arts high school students by selling a musical instrument that had not been played for a long time and did not produce proper sound as a luxury item worth hundreds of millions of won was sentenced to a suspended prison term.
According to the legal community on the 8th, Judge Yoodonggyun of the Criminal Division 13 at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced A (55), a musical instrument dealer tried for fraud, to 8 months in prison with a 2-year suspension. The court stated the sentencing rationale, saying, "Considering that the damage caused by the crime is considerable and the restitution has not been fully made, a corresponding punishment is necessary," but also "considering that 50 million won was deposited for the victim and that there is no prior record of similar crimes."
A is accused of deceiving parents with children about to enter arts high school in January 2016 at his musical instrument store in Seocho-gu, Seoul, by selling a "viola made by a famous French manufacturer in the 1800s" for 120 million won. Prosecutors' investigation revealed that the viola was displayed as a product for sale at the store but had not been sold for a long time and was an instrument that could not be played properly. It was found that A repaired the viola with poor performance by removing the back plate and attaching a label of a famous French manufacturer.
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In court, A claimed, "I myself believed the viola was a product of a famous French manufacturer, and since the brand was not important for the parents' purchasing decision, the fraud charge does not apply." However, the court rejected this claim based on the fact that A stated to investigators that "there was no certificate of authenticity for the viola from the beginning" and did not inform the victim parents that the famous brand label was attached through repairs.
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