61 Operators and Money Launderers Booked by Police
9 Arrested, 441 Gamblers Referred for Prosecution
The suspect in the so-called "Maserati hit-and-run fatality" case that occurred in September last year has been booked on charges of operating an illegal gambling website worth approximately 87 billion won.
The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 19th that it had booked a man in his 30s, identified as A, on charges including opening a gambling establishment. The police also booked an additional 60 people, including those responsible for money laundering and bank account distribution, and among them, nine have been arrested.
On the morning of April 4 last year, Kim Mo (33), the Maserati driver involved in a hit-and-run fatal accident, was being transferred to the prosecution at the Seobu Police Station in Seo-gu, Gwangju. Photo by Yonhap News
During the investigation into A's hit-and-run fatality case last year, the police detected evidence of illegal gambling website operations. They then launched a joint investigation by deploying the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit and the Criminal Investigation Task Force.
A is suspected of operating four gambling websites based overseas, together with accomplices, from 2022 until September 2024.
B, the person in charge of money laundering and of the same age as A, allegedly laundered gambling funds deposited into borrowed-name bank accounts by transferring the money through multiple accounts and collecting commissions.
In connection with this case, the police have booked a total of 61 people: A (for opening a gambling establishment), 10 people in charge of money laundering and cash withdrawals (for aiding and abetting the opening of a gambling establishment and violating the Act on Regulation of Concealment of Criminal Proceeds), 10 people responsible for bank account distribution and 40 bank account holders (for violating the Electronic Financial Transactions Act). Of these, nine have been arrested.
Separately, the police have also booked and referred 441 users of the illegal gambling websites. A police official stated, "We are working with Interpol to apprehend accomplices who are overseas, and we plan to thoroughly track and prosecute those involved in money laundering and distribution networks."
Meanwhile, the police confirmed that the vehicle driven by A at the time of the hit-and-run fatality was a borrowed-name car (Daepocha), and have booked and referred 31 people, including the head of the Daepocha distribution company, distributors, and buyers, on charges of violating the Automobile Management Act. Additionally, three people who assisted in A's escape have been booked and referred on charges of harboring a criminal, and those involved in the use of borrowed-name mobile phones (Daepophone) have also been booked and referred on charges of violating the Telecommunications Business Act.
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