It's Hard to Return. Lee Jin-ho Spreads from gambling controversy to 2.3 Billion Fraud Charges
Oct 16, 2024
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The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul said on the 16th that it has received a complaint to change Lee Jin-ho's charges from fraud under the existing criminal law to fraud under the specific economic crime law. The case has been expanding rapidly since Lee Jin-ho confessed to illegal gambling.
Lee Jin-ho recently confessed to gambling problems through his personal social media account and confessed that he was in debt that he could not afford. He borrowed money from several celebrities, including BTS member Jimin, and the total amount borrowed from fellow celebrities is reported to exceed 1 billion won. In addition, it was confirmed that the loan company borrowed an additional 1.3 billion won and owed a total of 2.3 billion won.
According to SBS, suspicions were raised that Lee Jin-ho did not lend and return 500 million won worth of money not only through acquaintances but also through YouTube channel 'Entertainment Du-President Jin-ho'. As the damage spreads, public criticism and pressure from police investigations are growing at the same time.
Internet user A, who filed the complaint, claimed that "Lee Jin-ho can be charged with fraud under the Specific Economic Crimes Act as the amount of money borrowed from his acquaintances currently exceeds 2 billion won." Mr. A emphasized that `It is a clear fraud to defraud the victim of money, and even if some of the money is repaid, the entire amount of defraud is a fraud.'
According to Article 3 of the Act on Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, if the profits from such crimes are 500 million won or more and less than 5 billion won, they can be sentenced to three years or more in prison. If Lee Jin-ho is indicted on the charges, his position in the entertainment industry is also expected to falter significantly. The results of the investigation are expected to determine the possibility of Lee Jin-ho's return to the entertainment industry.
mj.cho@sportschosun.com
