Former soccer player sentenced for gambling away 500 million won
A former soccer player who scammed his lover and fans out of 500 million won and spent most of it on sports gambling has been sentenced to prison.
Judge Lee Jong-gwang of the Seoul Northern District Court"s Criminal Division 4 sentenced Kim Mo, 38, to three years in prison after he went on trial for fraud, according to legal sources on Friday.
Kim duped seven people out of more than 570 million won ($570,000) between November 2019 and July last year. The victims included lovers and former fans.
Kim allegedly borrowed money from his victims, claiming that he was close to professional basketball players and esports athletes and could help them make a return on their investment through match-fixing.
Working as a day laborer after retirement, Kim allegedly lied about working as a scout for a professional soccer team, owning expensive apartments in Seoul and Ilsan and running a large soccer training center.
Most of the borrowed money was spent on gambling, including sports betting.
"The amount of damage exceeds 500 million won, while the amount of repayment is only about 90 million won," the court said, explaining that Kim used some of the money to pay for the treatment of his terminally ill child as a favorable mitigating factor.
Kim, who joined the Pohang Steelers in 2004, also played for the Busan Transportation Corporation soccer team. He was sentenced to three months in prison for fraud in June last year. ?????