60s Man Impersonating JMS Executive to Receive Billions in Office Expenses "Sentence Increased"

"Deceived with Promise to Assign Nursing Hospital Supplier Role"
Daejeon High Court Overturns 6-Year Sentence, Imposes 7 Years

A man in his 60s who introduced himself as the chairman of the JMS (Christian Gospel Mission) medical corporation and embezzled tens of billions of won under the pretext of office expenses by promising to assign a supplier for a planned nursing hospital was sentenced to a heavier punishment in the appellate court than in the first trial.

On the 8th, the 1st Criminal Division of the Daejeon High Court (Presiding Judge Park Jin-hwan) overturned the original sentence of 6 years in prison and sentenced Mr. A (63), who was indicted for violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud), to 7 years in prison, according to News1. Mr. A was tried for embezzling about 2.237 billion won from Mr. B, whom he met through an acquaintance, under the pretext of office expenses from November 2020 to June 2022.

Mr. A introduced himself to Mr. B as the chairman of the JMS medical corporation and lied, saying, "I am planning to establish the largest nursing hospital in Korea with 800 beds, and if you lend me office expenses, you will be allowed to take charge of an indirect supplier." He was investigated to have committed the crime by showing fake business plans and progress reports. Mr. A's crime was uncovered when Mr. B, suspicious of the lack of progress in the project, inquired at Daejeon City Hall and received a response that no business related to nursing hospital permits had been filed. It was also revealed that Mr. A was not the chairman of the JMS medical corporation and that JMS had never pursued the construction of a nursing hospital. Previously, Mr. A was reported to have impersonated a JMS elder and committed fraud amounting to 600 million won against seven victims from 2008 to 2016, for which he was sentenced to three years in prison. After being sentenced to prison in June 2018, he was released on parole in 2020 but committed the same type of crime again within eight months.

The first trial court sentenced him to six years in prison, stating, "Although some of the damages have been partially compensated, considering the severe level of damage suffered by the victims, the defendant's lack of any effort to restore the damage, and the victims' petition for severe punishment, a harsh sentence is inevitable." Mr. A appealed, claiming the sentence was too heavy. However, the second trial court accepted only the prosecutor's claim that the original sentence was too light, stating, "Even considering favorable circumstances, the original sentence seems too lenient," and increased the sentence.

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