A man in his 30s sentenced to prison after accidentally transferring 16.87 million won instead of 10,000 won and 'gulping' it down

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A man in his 30s who was sued after spending money mistakenly sent by the other party without permission and then falsely accused the other party of fraud was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

On the 23rd, according to the legal community, Judge Jeong Seongwan of Criminal Division 14 at the Seoul Central District Court sentenced A (35), who was detained and prosecuted on charges of false accusation and embezzlement, to 8 months in prison and ordered him to compensate the victim 16.86 million won.

A was tried on charges of not returning and arbitrarily using the money mistakenly deposited by the victim B, who is the owner of a delivery restaurant, on February 11.

At the time, A demanded a refund on the grounds that there was a hair in the food ordered for delivery from B’s restaurant, and B said he would send 10,000 won. However, B accidentally pressed the full payment button and sent 16.87 million won, which A did not return, according to the investigation.

Afterwards, when B, who did not get the money back, threatened to file a lawsuit, A instead filed a complaint with the police accusing B of attempted fraud.

In the complaint, A claimed, "I sold a luxury watch to B through a secondhand direct transaction, but B lies that the money was mistakenly transferred."

In court, A also claimed to B, "I sold the watch for 18 million won, received a 1 million won advance payment, handed over the watch and warranty, and then received the balance payment."

Additionally, A argued that the reason for ordering food from B’s restaurant at that time was to urge payment of the balance that was not deposited on time.

However, the court judged that A’s statements were false based on various circumstances and testimonies from related parties.

The court said, "It is hard to accept that the defendant, who knows the victim’s phone number and the location of the restaurant, deliberately ordered food as a way to urge the balance payment." It added, "The claim that only 1 million won was received as an advance payment while handing over both the watch and warranty is also quite unusual."

Then, the court explained the sentencing reason, saying, "The defendant was not forgiven by the victim, and the victim’s damage has not been restored."