"Serious Breach of Trust, Most Damages Unrecovered"
Court Cites Severity of Offense and Residents' Petitions for Strict Punishment
An accounting manager who embezzled apartment management fees amounting to 1.3 billion won over several years has been sentenced to prison.
On September 1, the Criminal Division 1 of the Wonju Branch of the Chuncheon District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Seungho) announced that it had sentenced Ms. A (57, female) to four years in prison on charges of embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.
Ms. A was brought to trial on charges of embezzling more than 1.4 billion won from November 2017 to January 2024.
According to the investigation, since March 2016, Ms. A had worked as the accounting manager of an apartment complex in Wonju City. She exploited the lack of clear approval procedures for expenditure documents to embezzle management fees, which she then used for debt repayment, overseas travel, credit card payments, and living expenses.
Ms. A embezzled more than 1.3 billion won by transferring funds to accounts under her own name or her son's name on 165 occasions.
The apartment management office discovered suspicious signs of embezzlement during its own internal audit early last year and reported Ms. A to the authorities.
Investigators analyzed transaction records submitted by the management office and uncovered Ms. A's embezzlement, leading to her arrest and indictment.
In court, Ms. A denied most of the charges. She claimed that she was reimbursed for expenses she had paid in advance for the apartment or that the funds were used for operating costs, insisting she had no intention of illegally taking the money.
The court accepted only a very small part of her claims, finding her not guilty for about 90 million won, but guilty for the remaining 1.3 billion won. The court explained its sentencing by stating, "Over approximately six years, she embezzled 1.3 billion won in management fees, which constitutes a serious breach of trust. Moreover, most of the damages have not been recovered, and the apartment residents are petitioning for severe punishment."
Ms. A, who had been released on bail after her detention period expired during the first trial, was taken into custody in court after being sentenced to prison.
Meanwhile, the residents of the affected apartment complex have filed a damages lawsuit against Ms. A, seeking compensation of more than 1.4 billion won, and legal proceedings are ongoing.
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