A man in his twenties, an aspiring actor, who received cash from victims of a voice phishing ring and delivered it to the organization, was given a suspended prison sentence in a jury trial.
On November 4, the 15th Criminal Division of the Seoul Eastern District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Yanghun) sentenced Mr. Koo (25), who stood trial by jury on charges including violation of the Act on the Prevention of Damage from Telecommunications-based Financial Fraud, to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years.
The court stated, "Phishing crimes cause irreparable harm to numerous victims, and the defendant played an essential role in collecting cash and delivering virtual assets, making strict punishment unavoidable." The court further noted, "It is reasonable to conclude that the defendant participated in the crime, at least with indirect intent."
Koo was indicted on charges of receiving a total of 110.62 million won in cash from seven voice phishing victims between July 1 and July 16 last year in various locations, including Gunsan in North Jeolla Province, Gangdong District in Seoul, and Cheonan in South Chungcheong Province. He then allegedly transferred the money to accounts under other people's names or converted it into virtual assets before delivering it to the phishing organization.
It was reported that he took on this work after seeing a job advertisement from an over-the-counter coin trading company, which stated that he could earn 150,000 to 200,000 won per transaction for collecting cash.
Previously, Koo's lawyer argued that Koo did not act intentionally and did not conspire with the phishing organization, insisting on his innocence. The lawyer said, "He was young and lacked social experience, so he had no idea the part-time job was related to phishing. He even recommended the job to a close friend from high school and brought him to the site. He had passed an audition in June last year and was about to begin filming in pursuit of his dream of becoming an actor. Had he known it was a phishing crime, he would never have gotten involved."
In his final statement, Koo said, "I am deeply sorry to all those who suffered, and I have realized just how ignorant I was of the law and society," pleading for leniency. He added, "Because of this carelessness, I lost the opportunity to appear in the project for which I had passed the audition, and my exclusive contract with the agency was terminated. I have ruined my own dream. I earnestly ask for another chance."
The prosecution argued, "The defendant used an alias provided by the company and was entrusted with transporting large sums of cash without any credit verification process, even though he was a newcomer to society. He should have realized the job was illegal, yet he continued, which demonstrates intent." The prosecution requested a sentence of three years and six months in prison for Koo.
The jury trial, in which ordinary citizens serve as jurors, resulted in a unanimous guilty verdict by all seven jurors. They also unanimously recommended a sentence of one year and six months in prison with a suspended sentence.
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