Former Caregiver Sentenced to Prison in First Trial for Embezzling Tens of Millions of Won from Disabled Person

Suspected of Embezzling 15.55 Million Won from Severely Brain-Injured Disabled Person Discovered During Work

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] A former disability support worker accused of embezzling tens of millions of won from a disabled person was sentenced to imprisonment in the first trial.

On the 6th, Kim Woo-jung, presiding judge of Criminal Division 8 at the Seoul Western District Court, announced that he recently sentenced Mr. A, who was indicted on fraud charges, to 10 months in prison.

Former disability support worker Mr. A is accused of contacting victim Mr. B, who has a severe brain injury disability, by phone at the end of December last year during his employment and fraudulently receiving 15.55 million won.

According to the prosecution, around the 28th of the same month, Mr. A lied to Mr. B, saying, "I decided to get a refinancing loan of 14.8 million won from the bank, but if I don't repay the remaining loan of 4.55 million won at the place where I originally took out the loan, the bank will not approve the loan," and "If you lend me only 4.55 million won, I will repay it by tomorrow," and received 4.55 million won.

However, Mr. A was unemployed with no significant income, had never agreed to receive a refinancing loan from the bank, and was known to have intended to use the money borrowed from Mr. B for personal purposes.

In response, Mr. B called Mr. A the next day to urge repayment, and Mr. A again lied, saying, "My account is suspended, so I cannot get the refinancing loan, but if the bank sends 11 million won as a deposit, they will approve a refinancing loan of 25 million won," and "If you lend me 11 million won more, I will repay everything including the money borrowed yesterday immediately," and received the amount.

Through the trial, Mr. A claimed, "I was deceived by a voice phishing criminal organization member who said they would provide a refinancing loan, believed it was possible, and sent the money I received to the organization member," denying any intent to defraud.

However, Judge Kim rejected his claim considering ▲ inconsistencies in statements during police and prosecution stages ▲ lack of any evidence such as text messages showing contact with the organization despite claiming to be a victim of voice phishing ▲ Mr. A’s attitude toward Mr. B after the crime ▲ and the fact that no report of voice phishing victimization was made.

The court stated the sentencing rationale, saying, "Although the amount embezzled cannot be considered very large, Mr. A committed the crime against a disabled victim, so the nature of the crime is not light, and the damage has not been restored."

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