A prison sentence has been finalized for a fraudster who lied that "I know an admissions officer" and took 850 million won from parents by saying the person would secure their child a donation-based transfer admission to an elite U.S. university.
The Supreme Court's Second Division (presiding Justice Eom Sang-pil) said on Mar. 1 that on Feb. 26 it finalized the lower court's sentence of one year and six months in prison in the appeal of a person surnamed Jeong, who was indicted on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud). Jeong also received a finalized sentence of four months in prison for subornation of perjury.
Parent A asked B to consult on transferring child C, who was attending a university in Korea, to an elite U.S. university. In May 2018, at a coffee shop in Seocho-gu, Seoul, Jeong told B to the effect that "I graduated from a university in the United States, and while working as a U.S. college admissions consultant, I helped many students get into elite schools. Through an admissions officer I know at a U.S. university, I can transfer C to an elite school."
Jeong told B that if 850 million won, including 2 billion won to give to a U.S. college admissions officer, was paid, Jeong would transfer C to three elite U.S. universities through a donation-based transfer admission, and if it failed, 600 million won would be returned. B relayed this offer to A, C's parent. On the day A received the offer, A gave Jeong 100 million won, and by the end of that year had delivered a total of 850 million won.
However, C did not transfer to the elite U.S. universities Jeong mentioned and was expelled from the Korean university C had been attending. Afterward, C prepared to study in the United States independently and entered an elite university in 2020.
Prosecutors indicted Jeong, concluding Jeong deceived A and took 850 million won. During the trial, Jeong argued that Jeong did not propose arranging a donation-based transfer admission through a U.S. admissions officer for child C, and that the money was taken for "simple admissions consulting." Jeong also said that since C entered an elite U.S. university, A was not deceived.
A also tutored C for the SAT, the U.S. college entrance exam. C's SAT score rose from 1,340 in Aug. 2019 to 1,590 (out of 1,600) in Dec. of the same year.
Before this fraud, Jeong had a prior record of forging documents to secure clients' admission to elite U.S. universities and taking money.
The first trial sentenced A to two years in prison. The first trial court found that "Jeong deceived the victim's side by making it seem as if Jeong had the ability and intention to secure a donation-based transfer admission for C to an elite U.S. university."
The second trial sentenced A to one year and six months in prison. The appellate court reduced the sentence in consideration of Jeong having returned part of the damages to the victim. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, finding no misapprehension of the law in the lower court's ruling.
In addition, Jeong was indicted without detention in Apr. 2021 on charges of fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Economic Crimes for manipulating KakaoTalk chat records. Jeong asked D, whom Jeong met on a dating app, to appear in court as a witness, take an oath, and testify falsely, and was additionally indicted for subornation of perjury.
In the first trial, Jeong was sentenced to eight months in prison. In the second trial, the court reduced the sentence to four months in prison, noting that Jeong confessed to subornation of perjury during the first trial. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and finalized the lower court's ruling.