A South Korean man in his 30s who laundered $68,000 in cryptocurrency for a voice phishing gang has had his suspended sentence revoked. The Suwon High Court imposed a four-year prison term after he appealed for leniency. The ruling highlights his key role in the scam operations.
In 2024, a district court in South Korea initially sentenced the unnamed defendant, aged in his 30s, to two and a half years in jail for his involvement in money laundering via cryptocurrency. However, the court suspended the prison term for four years of probation, requiring regular check-ins with a probation officer. Dissatisfied with the outcome, the man appealed to the Suwon High Court seeking a reduction.
The appeal proved disastrous. Rather than shortening the sentence, the High Court reversed the suspension and ordered him to serve four years behind bars. The judges determined that he was not just a minor participant but had played a central role in the voice phishing ring. "The defendant referred to himself as ‘a person in charge.’ He received daily reports on the ring’s operations and played a key role in the voice phishing crimes," the judge stated. "He gave orders to other members of the organisation."
The scam involved gang members impersonating public prosecutors to contact victims, claiming their identities had been stolen and urging them to transfer funds to supposedly safe accounts controlled by the criminals. The defendant converted victims' money into cryptocurrency and sent it to addresses in China, laundering $68,000 in total. Despite his legal team's claim that he agreed to compensate the victims, the court noted his history as a repeat offender with prior voice phishing links. "Even though he was fully aware of the illegality and social harm of his actions, he reoffended," the judge concluded. "As such, there is a high possibility he will commit further crimes of this nature."
The man retains the right to appeal to South Korea's Supreme Court, which could potentially extend his sentence if it rejects his case.
