"Will repay with 5% interest"... 50s man sentenced to prison for embezzling over 100 million won

A man in his 50s who impersonated a company CEO and deceived his romantic partner to embezzle over 100 million won was sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 15th, Han Ok-hyung, a judge of the Criminal Division 8 at the Seoul Southern District Court, sentenced Lee (57), who was indicted on fraud charges, to one year in prison. Lee introduced himself as the CEO of a non-ferrous metal wholesale company to the victim he befriended at a golf gathering, flaunting himself as if he had a lot of money.

As Lee grew closer to the victim, he deceived her by saying, "The company urgently needs money for business. I will use it for only three months and repay the principal and interest with a 5% interest rate." Using this method, from May 13, 2020, to June 19, 2021, Lee received 135 million won in 17 installments from the victim under the pretext of a loan.

The court stated, "Considering the duration of the crime and the amount embezzled, the nature of the crime is serious. Lee denies the crime and shows no remorse, and has a prior record of a fine for a similar offense." However, the court also said, "The victim bears some responsibility for lending the money without sufficient review to gain high interest profits in a short period."