Court Hands Down Consecutive Suspended Sentences to Defendants Who Embezzled Property from Disabled Individuals

Gwangju District Court. Photo by Song Bohyun

A guardian's agent who embezzled the property of a person with disabilities and an employee at a sheltered workshop who made unauthorized withdrawals have both received suspended sentences.

On the 4th, Judge Ji Hyesun of the Gwangju District Court, Criminal Division 5, announced that A (55), who was indicted for embezzlement and violation of the Welfare of Disabled Persons Act, was sentenced to one year in prison with a two-year suspension, along with probation and 80 hours of community service.

A was accused of arbitrarily using approximately 48 million won of property belonging to his first cousin B, who has a level 1 intellectual disability, and embezzling about 18 million won in insurance money between 2017 and 2023. Since A’s mother, who was designated as B’s guardian, is elderly, A had been managing the property on her behalf.

Judge Ji explained the sentencing by stating, "A is highly blameworthy for using a significant portion of the victim's assets for living expenses, and most of the damage has not been recovered."

The same court also sentenced C (31), an employee at a sheltered workshop for persons with disabilities indicted for quasi-fraud, to four months in prison with a two-year suspension. C was accused of making 15 unauthorized withdrawals totaling about 2 million won in 2023 by using the ID and personal information of an autistic person.

The court took into account that C also has an intellectual disability and had already experienced detention, and thus issued a suspended sentence.

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