An associate who swindled the entire fortune of Shinhwa member Lee Min-woo has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term in the appellate court. The Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 3 (Presiding Judges Lee Chang-hyung, Nam Ki-jung, and Yoo Je-min) upheld the first-instance ruling, sentencing the television writer identified as Mr. A to nine years in prison for charges including fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. The court also maintained the order to repay the 2.6 billion won ($2.6 million).
Background of the Case
Mr. A approached Lee Min-woo in 2019 when news broke that Lee had been accused of sexually assaulting two women. Claiming to have connections within the prosecution, Mr. A promised to secure a non-indictment for Lee, asking for approximately 1.6 billion won ($1.6 million) supposedly for bribes to high-ranking prosecutors. However, it was later revealed that Mr. A had no such connections and had no intention of resolving the issue.
Later that same year, in December, after Lee was cleared of the charges due to insufficient evidence, Mr. A approached him again, demanding more money for "finalizing the case," and blaming Lee for any delays due to media leaks. Over the span of 26 months, Mr. A swindled a total of 2.6 billion won from Lee, taking control of his bank accounts, passwords, and security cards. He even took out loans using Lee’s house as collateral and stole 218 luxury items.
Court Proceedings
The appellate court found Mr. A guilty of fraud and gaslighting Lee. The court stated, "The victim testified that the defendant was the only person who could help him at the time, and appeared to be emotionally dependent on him. It is recognized that the victim was significantly psychologically intimidated during the incident."
The court further criticized Mr. A for showing no remorse and for his unconvincing explanations. "The defendant has shown no repentance, provided no compensation, and even mentioned the victim's unrelated romantic partner, showing no remorse," the court noted. Nevertheless, taking into account that Mr. A was a first-time offender, the court found the original sentence to be neither too lenient nor too harsh, dismissing appeals from both the prosecution and the defendant.
Lee Min-woo’s Reaction
Lee Min-woo recently appeared on a television program, expressing his devastation, saying, "I suffered a betrayal beyond words from someone I trusted the most." It has been reported that Mr. A was a friend of Lee’s sister and had known Lee for 20 years. This case has caused significant distress and shock to Lee, highlighting the severity of the betrayal.
This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of being cautious, even with trusted individuals. It is hoped that such a situation will not happen again in the future.
Starting Google Play App Distribution! "Tester Share" for Recruiting 20 Testers for a Closed Test.
Tester Share [테스터쉐어] - Google Play 앱
Tester Share로 Google Play 앱 등록을 단순화하세요.
play.google.com
