Prosecution: "Defendant Shows No Remorse, Severe Punishment Needed"
On the 10th, the verdicts for the Korean-American fraudster impersonating a doctor, known as 'Jennifer Jung,' A (51), and her younger sister B (45), who were sentenced to 9 years and 3 years and 6 months in prison respectively, were made public.
Yonhap News reported on the lives of the two sisters on the 16th. Previously, A, called Jennifer Jung, was indicted for embezzling over 4.2 billion won in investment funds from four professionals over about two years starting in 2017, under the pretense of arranging investment immigration and participation in overseas exchange student programs, and was sentenced to 9 years in prison in the first trial.
A falsely introduced herself as an American doctor visiting as an exchange professor at a university hospital in Gwangju and as the Korean distributor representative of an overseas medical device company, but all of this was fabricated.
Many victims were parents preparing for their children's college entrance, who were deceived by the sisters' claims that "obtaining an investment immigration green card offers significant benefits for admission to American universities, employment, and visa issues after graduation." Investigations confirmed that Jennifer Jung had no affiliation with the company in question.
The university hospital stated that A had no record of serving as an exchange professor, and the American medical license she presented was proven to be fake. The Columbia University diploma submitted by A to the investigation authorities only listed a major in 'Master of Biology,' with no proof of medical school graduation.
A arrived in the United States at age 23 in 1997 and operated an English academy in Suncheon, Jeonnam until 2009. From 2010, she worked as the head of an English academy in Gwangju.
Later, from 2017 to 2018, she claimed to be the Korean partner of a foreign medical device company and proposed a 320 billion won investment to Gwangju City. She even held a 'Vision Declaration Ceremony' with the city, promising to establish the company's Korean factory, but the company's headquarters denied any plans for factory investment in Korea.
A used the money received from victims to pay off personal debts and cover her children's study abroad expenses. During this process, she sent visa issuance documents to victims using the contact information of an international exchange lawyer supposedly working at the U.S. Embassy in Korea; however, the lawyer was a fictitious person, and the contact number was a mobile phone line opened by A herself.
The younger sister B was also tried and sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison and taken into custody for embezzling about 680 million won by deceiving victims with promises of investment returns alongside her sister, and for independently committing fraud amounting to about 20 million won.
The first trial court stated, "The claims that Jennifer Jung graduated from Columbia Medical School or was the Korean representative of a U.S. medical manufacturing company appear to be false based on various materials. Considering the financial records and the fact that documents were fabricated by others, it seems the victims' money was used to pay personal debts or living expenses. The creation of a fictitious American lawyer also indicates intent to commit fraud."
Separately, the Gwangju Police Agency has forwarded eight additional complaint cases related to the sisters' other fraudulent activities, involving damages totaling about 500 million won.
On the 16th, the prosecution stated, "A has shown no remorse, continuing to submit false documents even after the investigation began, so a heavier sentence should be imposed," and announced that they have appealed the first trial verdict.
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