Man in His 60s Sentenced to Prison for Swindling Doctor Out of 600 Million Won by Claiming to Help Open Hospital

Sentenced to Four Years in Prison...
Appeals the Verdict

A man in his 60s who approached a doctor claiming he would help open a hospital by constructing a building and then swindled him out of hundreds of millions of won has been sentenced to prison.

On June 29, the Criminal Division 1 of the Namyangju Branch of the Uijeongbu District Court (Chief Judge Kim Guksik) announced that it had sentenced the defendant, Mr. A (65), who was indicted on charges of fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, to four years in prison.

According to the court, in July 2021, Mr. A learned through an acquaintance that Dr. B, whom he met in Seoul, had 1 billion won and was preparing funds to open a hospital. From that point on, Mr. A posed as a consultant who could secure public funds and won Dr. B's trust by pretending to have connections with influential figures.

In January of the following year, Mr. A deceived Dr. B by claiming that he could attract 100 billion won in public funds, which would be used to purchase land and construct a building. Under this pretense, he received a total of 600 million won from Dr. B as a deposit in two installments. However, Mr. A neither had the ability to secure hospital opening funds nor to return the deposit. Instead, he used the money received from Dr. B to invest in other businesses, repay debts, and gave part of it to his family.

Eventually, Mr. A was apprehended and investigated after Dr. B reported him, leading to his indictment. During the investigation, it was also revealed that Mr. A had previously defrauded another victim, Mr. C, out of 150 million won. He already had two prior convictions for similar offenses.

In its ruling, the court stated, "The defendant actively deceived the victim by presenting an investment plan that had no real possibility of being realized as if it were promising and actually underway, and by exaggerating his own abilities." The court added, "No restitution has been made, and the victims are petitioning for a severe punishment." The court also explained its sentencing by noting, "Although the defendant has a history of similar crimes, we took into consideration that the actual benefit he gained from the crimes was not substantial compared to the amount swindled."

Mr. A has appealed the verdict.