A group that operated a "leading room" based in Cambodia and defrauded 1.9 billion won from 23 victims has been sentenced to prison in the appellate court as well.
The Seoul Southern District Court Criminal Appeals Division 3-1 (Presiding Judges Lim Sunji, Cho Gyuseol, and Yoo Hwanwoo) on the 17th sentenced Song (26) and Lee (39), who were indicted on charges including fraud and joining a criminal organization, to three years and two months in prison each. The court also ordered the forfeiture of 20,960,000 won from Song and 1,920,000 won from Lee. Previously, in the first trial, they had each been sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
Song and Lee operated in a "leading room" run by a Chinese ringleader in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from January to July of last year. They allegedly impersonated employees of well-known international investment advisory firms to gain the victims' trust, received money, and then induced further investments before cutting off contact?a fraudulent scheme.
The court stated, "The fact that they recruited acquaintances and involved them in the crime makes the offense particularly egregious," and added, "The amount of damage is significant, and the losses have yet to be recovered."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
