"I’ll give you a discount on appliances for newlyweds": Former LG Electronics dealership manager who swindled 600 million won gets prison term on appeal

[Financial News] A former branch manager of an LG Electronics dealership was sentenced to prison again on appeal after being indicted for allegedly swindling more than 600 million won from about 30 customers, including soon-to-be newlyweds, by taking payment for home appliances.
Legal sources said on the 18th that the Criminal Appeals Division 2 of the Seoul Northern District Court, presided over by Judge Jung Woo-seok, sentenced Mr. Yang, 42, a former sales manager at Branch A of an LG Best Shop, to three years and six months in prison that morning. Yang had been indicted on charges including fraud.
Yang was indicted for allegedly swindling a total of 639,210,000 won from 37 customers between July and October last year, claiming that the money was for the purchase of home appliances.
Yang reportedly told customers that they could receive discounts by using an affiliated card. He deceived them by promising that if they first paid for the products in cash, he would cancel the card payments a few days later and return the money. In reality, investigators found that he used the money to repay existing debts or fund his gambling.
The court found that Yang repeatedly committed the offenses against multiple victims and that the nature of the crimes was serious given the way they were carried out. It considered it an aggravating factor that, although LG Electronics appears to have compensated the victims, there was no evidence that Yang had taken steps to make direct restitution. The court also noted that the head of the company where Yang had worked suffered substantial losses and had pleaded for severe punishment.
As mitigating factors, the court considered that Yang admitted to the offenses and showed remorse, that his actual gains were less than the total amount he obtained through fraud, and that he had no prior criminal record at the time of the offenses.
The case was divided into two separate matters, with trials held at the first-instance level. Yang was sentenced to two years and six months in prison in one case and one year in the other. He appealed both rulings, while prosecutors appealed only the case in which he received the one-year sentence.
The appellate court heard the two cases together. It determined that the offenses constituted concurrent crimes under the Criminal Act and therefore required a single sentence. The court overturned both first-instance rulings and sentenced Yang to three years and six months in prison. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of four years and six months at the appellate court's final hearing.
[email protected] Seo Ji-yoon Reporter