Construction worker who recruited false union members and stole 2.5 billion won sentenced to 7 years in prison

False advertising as if legal requirements for member recruitment and land purchase were met.
I lost all my life savings... Victims plead for severe punishment

A man in his 50s was sentenced to prison for stealing 2.5 billion won from four victims under the pretext of granting membership to a local housing cooperative apartment complex.

The 32nd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Mr. A to seven years in prison last February on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

According to Article 3 of the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, if the proceeds from a crime are between 500 million won and 5 billion won, a person may be sentenced to imprisonment for a limited period of three years or more.

Mr. A, a construction contractor, stole a total of 2.55 billion won from the victims by suggesting to his acquaintances, “If you pay a certain amount, you will be able to purchase an apartment at a lower cost than regular union members.”

However, as a result of the investigation, it was confirmed that Mr. A had never established the union itself and that no land had been secured or business plan approval had been obtained.

At trial, Mr. A denied all charges, saying there was no intention to deceive.

The court sentenced him to prison considering the nature of the crime and the extent of the damage. The court stated the reason for the sentencing, saying, “The scale of the damage is significant, and no special efforts were made to recover the damage to the victims, so the nature of the crime is very poor.”

Attorney Park Seong-yoon of Daeryun Law Firm, who served as legal representation for the victims, explained, “Even if Mr. A received money from the victims, he had no intention or ability to grant union membership or sell an apartment,” and added, “As a result of checking the account details, it was discovered that the misappropriated money was used for personal purposes such as food expenses or for other business expenses.”

He continued, “In particular, Mr. A committed the crime by taking advantage of the trust stemming from his personal relationship with the victims, and some of them even lost their life savings.” At the same time, he added, “Mr. A did not stop the secondary assault, including threatening and urging an agreement under the pretext of repaying the damage,” and added, “The victims’ plea for severe punishment for Mr. A was recognized and the prison sentence was handed down.”

Reporter Kim Jong-cheol (jckim99@sportsseoul.com)

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False advertising as if legal requirements for union member recruitment and land purchase have been met, losing the wealth you have accumulated throughout your life... Victims petition for severe punishment (link)