Firefighter Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison for Borrowing 1.4 Billion Won in Gambling Funds and Failing to Repay

"Committed crimes against multiple acquaintances over a long period... No settlement reached"

A firefighter in his 30s was sentenced to prison for borrowing 1.4 billion won from acquaintances to fund gambling and failing to repay it. The photo above is unrelated to the article. [Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Intern Lee Gyehwa] A firefighter in his 30s, Mr. A, who borrowed 1.4 billion KRW from acquaintances to fund gambling but failed to repay, was sentenced to four years in prison. Mr. A gained trust by using his status as a firefighter, but investigations revealed that he was unable to repay the borrowed money, causing many victims.

On the 28th, the 1st Criminal Division of the Suncheon Branch of Gwangju District Court (Chief Judge Heo Jeonghun) announced that Mr. A (36), who was detained and prosecuted on charges of fraud and obstruction of exercise of rights, was sentenced to four years in prison.

Mr. A was indicted for borrowing a total of 1.4 billion KRW from acquaintances 439 times over three years from 2018 to 2021 and failing to repay it.

The court stated, "Considering that a large sum of 1.4 billion KRW was repeatedly embezzled over a considerable period from multiple victims, the nature of the crime is quite serious," and added, "He took advantage of his position as a firefighter to build trust with the victims and committed this crime with the intent to use the money for gambling funds, which makes the blameworthiness very high."

The court also explained the sentencing rationale, saying, "The defendant has not been forgiven by any of the victims, and the victims have suffered considerable economic and psychological damage due to this crime, making a prison sentence unavoidable."