Housekeeper of 10 Years Caught Stealing Tens of Millions of Won Worth of Luxury Goods

A housekeeper who stole tens of millions of won worth of luxury goods, including Chanel and Gucci, from a home where she worked for 10 years has been given a suspended prison sentence.

According to legal circles on Friday (July 31), the Seoul Eastern District Court recently sentenced a woman in her 60s, identified as A, to eight months in prison suspended for two years and ordered 80 hours of community service on charges of theft.

A is accused of stealing 20.8 million won worth of luxury goods—including an 8 million won Chanel handbag, a 4 million won Balenciaga dress, and a 2.3 million won pair of Chanel shoes—while working as a housekeeper at a home in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, for about 10 years, taking advantage of the homeowner's absence in April of last year.

A was indicted on charges of stealing a total of 78.1 million won worth of items across five instances using a similar method until January 15 of this year.

A is also accused of stealing 11.7 million won worth of property across 39 instances from November 2020 to January of this year at another home where she had also worked as a housekeeper for 10 years.

The court stated the sentencing rationale, saying, "She repeatedly stole items while working as a housekeeper, the value is considerable, making her culpability heavy, and the victims are petitioning for strict punishment."

However, the court took into favorable consideration the facts that A admitted to the crimes, returned all of the stolen items to the victims, and had no prior criminal record.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.