Luxury Agency CEO Indicted for Forging 'French Police' Report and Embezzling 200 Million Won

Charged with Fraud and Forgery of Private Documents
Submitted False "French Warehouse Theft" Documents to Mislead Police

The head of a luxury brand purchasing agency and others have been brought to trial for embezzling approximately 200 million won from members and forging documents in the name of the French police to conceal their crimes.

Forgery of French police crime report by Mr. A and others. Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office

On August 28, the Criminal Division 4 of the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors' Office (chief prosecutor Kim Hyeonggeol) announced that it had indicted Mr. A (age 37), the CEO of a luxury overseas purchasing agency, and Ms. B (age 43), a co-operator of the company, without detention. They face charges of fraud, forgery of private documents, and use of forged private documents.

According to prosecutors, from October 2022 to July 2023, Mr. A and others allegedly siphoned off 216.91 million won under the pretense of membership registration fees or deposits, even though they were unable to carry out luxury purchasing services due to worsening financial conditions. When members began to file multiple complaints in September 2023, Mr. A and others forged a crime report in the name of the French police, claiming that goods stored in a French warehouse had been stolen, and submitted these forged documents to local police stations and courts.

The police decided not to refer the case to prosecution in March 2024; however, after the complainants filed objections and the case was taken over by prosecutors, it was discovered that the facts in the documents submitted by Mr. A and others could not be verified. In November 2024, prosecutors requested international criminal judicial cooperation from the French authorities. The investigation found that the document in question was a forged document with its contents altered from an official report originally filed when an employee of Mr. A's company reported a theft at their residence in France.

Mr. A and others used members' deposits with a revolving fund method to cover corporate operating expenses, employee salaries, and loan repayments. It was also confirmed that Mr. A and others continued to collect their own salaries even while employees' wages were overdue.

A prosecution official stated, "We are making efforts to protect the rights of victims and will respond strictly to fraudulent crimes targeting the general public and the vulnerable, as well as judicial order disruption involving the submission of false evidence to investigative agencies or courts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.