Over the course of two years, 900 million won worth of electronic devices were stolen, sold as used, and wasted on gambling… 3 years and 6 months in prison

Over the course of two years, he stole 900 million won worth, sold it as used goods, and wasted money on gambling… 3 years and 6 months in prison

(Chuncheon = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Young-seo = A man in his 40s who stole 900 million won worth of expensive electronic devices from an online shopping mall distribution center over a two-year period and resold them as used devices did not avoid a prison sentence even in an appeal trial.

Chuncheon District Court Criminal Division 1-3 (Chief Judge Heo Il-seung) announced on the 12th that it dismissed the appeal filed by Mr. A (47), who was indicted on theft charges, and upheld the lower court's decision to sentence him to 3 years and 6 months in prison.

Mr. A was put on trial on charges of stealing 971 electronic devices worth approximately 920 million won from October 2022 to December 2024.

Mr. A, who was in charge of transferring products that could be resold among items collected through return requests to the usable product inspection team, took advantage of the fact that due to the nature of his work, he could freely move around inside the distribution center and open returned boxes without any restrictions.

Mr. A continued his crimes by hiding expensive electronic devices, such as smartphones and laptops, under the insole of safety shoes or throwing them outside through a window in the blind spot of a closed-circuit (CC) TV.

The first trial sentenced him to three years and six months in prison, saying, “The amount of damage was very large, the crime was committed over a long period of time, and the method was also poor.”

The appellate court, which looked at Mr. A's claim that the sentence was 'heavy', also dismissed the appeal, saying, "He sold the stolen goods through a second-hand trading platform, and used a significant portion of the profits earned through this as gambling funds," and added, "The original trial's sentence was within the reasonable range of discretion."