The Two Faces of a Housekeeper Trusted for 10 Years... She Embezzled 90 Million Won Worth of Luxury Goods from Trimage [True Crime]

[Financial News]"You can know the depth of the water, but not the heart of a person... I never imagined this would happen."
It was belatedly revealed that a woman in her 60s who had worked for years as a housekeeper at the Trimage Apartment Complex in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, repeatedly stole luxury goods such as Chanel and Gucci items while the homeowner was out. The court acknowledged that she had stolen high-end items worth about 90 million won more than 40 times over several years and handed her a suspended prison sentence.
Housekeeper A, 66, had cleaned and handled household chores at victim B's, 43, home for about 10 years. According to the court, from April 2025 to January this year, A took advantage of times when B was away and secretly carried out expensive luxury items from the home by putting them in her own bag.
The items A stole included a Chanel Classic Mini Bag worth 8 million won, as well as a Chanel coin purse, key ring, pearl necklace, Chanel shoes, a Gucci denim jacket, and a Balenciaga dress. In one incident alone, she took luxury goods worth 20.8 million won. Investigators found that she used the same method in five separate incidents to steal items worth 78.1 million won in total.
During the trial, it also emerged that A's crimes had started much earlier. The court also recognized that from November 2020 to January this year, she had been taking items from the same victim's home whenever the homeowner was away.
A was found to have stolen items worth 11.683 million won in 39 incidents, starting with goods valued at 550,000 won. Combined, that means she stole items worth 89.783 million won in 44 incidents over about five years. The trust she built by freely entering the home for years ultimately led to repeated thefts.

According to the legal community on the 31st, the Criminal Division 3, Single Judge Panel of the Seoul Eastern District Court, presided over by Ahn Hee-kyung, sentenced A, who had been indicted on theft charges, to eight months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence. The court also ordered 80 hours of community service.
The court said A repeatedly stole the victim's property while working as a housekeeper, and that the amount of damage was substantial, making the offense serious. It also noted that the victim had asked for strict punishment.
However, the court took into account favorable factors, including A's full confession, the return of the stolen items to the victim, and the fact that she had no prior criminal record.
[email protected] Kim Ye-ji Reporter