A woman in her 50s was sentenced on appeal to four years in prison for committing large-scale fraud against her in-laws and acquaintances.

The ruling was issued by the Suwon High Court, which merged multiple convictions and imposed a single consolidated sentence.

Between September 2019 and January 2023, she defrauded her in-laws:

162 separate transactions

Totaling approximately ₩11.4 billion.


Over a separate one-year period, she also scammed an acquaintance of about ₩55 million.

She lured victims by falsely claiming:

Her maternal uncle ran a private lending business,

She and her mother were already earning monthly interest, and

Investors would receive ₩500,000 monthly interest per ₩10 million, with principal guaranteed and easy withdrawal.


In reality:

The uncle had no connection to the lending business, and

The defendant was in serious financial trouble, using the money to repay personal debts.


The appellate court explained that:

The crimes constituted concurrent offenses, requiring a single combined sentence,

Which made it impossible to maintain the original separate rulings.


In determining the sentence, the court emphasized:

Abuse of close family trust,

The long duration and large scale of the fraud,

And the fact that she had a prior fraud-related conviction dating back to 2000.


As a mitigating factor, the court noted:

She had repaid approximately ₩8 billion to in-laws and ₩18 million to the acquaintance,

Meaning the victims’ actual financial losses were lower than the charged amounts.


After weighing:

Her age, background, family situation,

The method and consequences of the crime, and

Post-offense behavior,
the court concluded that a four-year prison term was appropriate.


The case underscores how financial fraud within family relationships, especially when dressed up as “safe investments,” can lead to severe criminal penalties, regardless of partial repayment.

Article: https://www.news1.kr/local/gyeonggi/6025215