"Affordable Import from Japan"... Man in His 50s Sentenced for Embezzling Tens of Millions of Won

A man in his 50s who deceived others by claiming he could import work iron at a low price from a Japanese company and embezzled tens of millions of won as a deposit was sentenced to prison.

According to the legal community on the 21st, Judge Hong Da-seon of the Criminal Division 4 at the Seoul Western District Court sentenced A (52) to 8 months in prison on charges of fraud and others.

A was indicted on charges of deceiving B in November 2019 by claiming, "I can import work iron cheaply from a Japanese company I frequently deal with at 630 won per kilogram," and embezzling 31.5 million won as a deposit.

A deceived B by saying, "The Japanese company requires a minimum transaction volume of 200 tons. We will import this volume half and half. Please pay 25% of the total import price of 126 million won as a deposit. I will bear the remaining cost and import it to Korea, so you can pay the balance when the goods arrive in Korea. I will also personally inspect the goods before they are shipped from Japan."

A was in a state of credit delinquency and was conducting trade under another person's name, lacking the capacity to prepare the import payment amounting to about 120 million won. He had no experience dealing with the Japanese company or importing work iron. A also had a prior record of being sentenced to 4 months in prison for fraud in December 2016.

The court stated the sentencing reasons, saying, "The defendant committed the crime during the period of repeated offenses of the same kind and has not shown remorse, making rather artificial claims from the investigation process to this court. However, considering that the victim and the defendant reached a settlement during the trial process, the victim no longer wishes for the defendant's punishment, the defendant paid 27.9 million won belatedly, and the defendant's age."