Fraudster on the Run for 7 Years Arrested by Prosecutors 3 Days Before Statute of Limitations on Prison Sentence Expires

A fraudster who fled after a prison sentence was finalized while being tried without detention has been arrested by prosecutors just three days before the statute of limitations on the execution of the sentence expired.

The Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office announced on the 21st that it had apprehended a 58-year-old male fugitive identified as A, whose eight-month prison sentence for fraud had been finalized.

An unexecuted prison sentence fugitive refers to a person who has been sentenced to prison terms such as penal servitude or imprisonment by a court, but has gone into hiding or fled prior to confinement.

A, a construction contractor, deceived an acquaintance between March and April 2017 by promising to return money once construction payments were received, swindling approximately 24 million won.

Having failed to attend a single trial, A went into hiding for about seven years after the eight-month prison sentence was finalized in August 2019, cutting off contact even with family members.

While questioning acquaintances recently, prosecutors identified a mobile phone used by A, tracked his movements, and apprehended him at a highway rest stop on the 18th.

The day of the arrest was a mere three days before the statute of limitations on the execution of A's sentence was set to expire.

The statute of limitations on the execution of a sentence is a criminal law provision under which a crime is exempted if a certain period passes without execution after a prison sentence or other penalties are finalized in court, distinguishing it from the statute of limitations for prosecution.

In cases like A's, where the prison term or imprisonment is less than three years, the statute of limitations for the sentence is seven years.

An official from the Gwangju District Prosecutors' Office stated, "We will do our utmost to realize the state's sentencing authority by actively apprehending fugitives with long-unexecuted prison sentences."

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