Acquaintance Imprisoned For Extorting 2.6 Billion Won From Idol A

According to Chosun Ilbo on April 10th, B was recently sentenced to nine years in prison in the first trial. The court also ordered B to return 2.6 billion won to A.

In June 2019, A was booked on charges of sexually harassing two women. B, who had been close with A for a long time, approached A and said, “I have connections in the prosecution, I’ll help you get acquitted. I need money to give to a high-ranking prosecutor”. 

Deceived by B’s words, A gave B 1.6 billion won. In fact, B did not have any acquaintances in the prosecution and did not give the money to any prosecutor.

When A was acquitted in December 2019, B approached A again to demand more money, saying “The prosecutors are trying to reverse the acquittal”, so A handed over his bank account and the password to B. Later, B withdrew 1 billion won, including money borrowed from the bank using A’s house as collateral. In addition, B also took 218 luxury items from A, including a gold bag.

After being scammed a total of 2.6 billion won over 26 months, A eventually sued B. In July last year, the prosecution indicted B on charges of fraud and violation of the Attorneys Act. In January, the Seoul Southern District Court sentenced B to nine years in prison, adding “B must pay A 2.6 billion won”.

The court said, “A must have been very anxious because it could have a big impact on their celebrity activities, such as broadcasts that he already filmed being edited at the time of the sexual harassment incident. A must have easily been deceived by B because he trusted B”, adding “A lost all the property he has earned in his life due to this case and is having a hard time. Even though the crime is very serious, considering the method, the period, and the amount of money being extorted, B denies all the allegations and does not show any reflection at all”.

The Seoul High Court will hold the second trial as both the prosecution and B appealed after the first trial.