Grandmother Who Received 54 Million Won in Basic Livelihood Benefits While Driving an Equus and Collecting Rent Loses Appeal

Illegally Received 54 Million Won in Basic Livelihood Benefits Detected

Court: "Difficult to Find a Sense of Lawfulness"... Appeal Dismissed

A woman in her 70s who posed as a recipient of basic living subsidies, despite driving a luxury sedan and using her child’s credit card, pocketed tens of millions of won and received a suspended prison sentence on appeal as well. The appellate court ruled, "Given that it is difficult to find a sense of law-abidingness in the defendant, the original verdict is justified."

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According to the legal community on May 11, the Criminal Division 3 of the Gwangju District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Ilsu) dismissed the appeal of Ms. A (female, 75), who was indicted for violating the National Basic Living Security Act, and upheld the original sentence of eight months in prison, suspended for two years.

Illegally Received 54 Million Won Over 240 Instances

Ms. A was indicted for fraudulently receiving more than 54 million won in basic living subsidies from the Seo District of Gwangju from January 2021 to November 2023. Investigation revealed that over a total of about 240 instances, she received 43.92 million won in medical benefits, 3.6 million won in housing benefits, and 6.7 million won in livelihood benefits.

However, it was found that Ms. A purchased and drove a used Equus sedan under an acquaintance’s name, used a debit card under her son’s name, or received several million won for daily living. She also received monthly rent from Mr. B, with whom she was in a common-law relationship.

Claimed "The Government Is Also Responsible," But...

During the trial, Ms. A admitted her wrongdoing but argued, "The government is also responsible. I became a beneficiary because I was not in contact with my children, but the district office says I received support from my family, which disqualifies me. I think it is wrong to be told to sever ties with my family." However, the court did not accept this claim.

The first trial court stated, "The defendant illegally received various benefits by failing to report changes in income and assets, which makes the crime severe." Nevertheless, "It is expected that the amount paid during the period of fraudulent receipt will be recovered," and thus a suspended prison sentence was imposed.

Ms. A appealed the verdict, but the appellate court ruled, "Considering that the amount paid during the period of fraudulent receipt is expected to be recovered, and that it is difficult to find a sense of law-abidingness in the defendant, the original verdict is justified."

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