MZ Gang Members Who Attacked Illegal Investment Reading Room Have Sentences Reduced in Appeal

So-called "MZ gang members" who brandished weapons to raid the office of an illegal investment reading room scam organization and stole valuables have had their sentences partially reduced in their appeal trial.

According to the legal community on June 30, the 14th Criminal Division of the Suwon High Court (Presiding Judge Heo Yang-yun) overturned the lower court rulings in the appeal trial for six individuals, including a gang member identified as A, who were indicted on charges of robbery resulting in injury and special trespassing, sentencing them to terms ranging from 4 years to 7 years and 6 months in prison.

Ring leader A, who was sentenced to 8 years in prison in the first trial, had his sentence reduced to 7 years and 6 months. B and C, who were each sentenced to 7 years in prison, had their sentences reduced to 6 years and 6 months and 6 years, respectively.

The remaining three accomplices also saw their prison terms reduced to between 4 and 5 years.

A and the others were indicted for breaking into a stock investment scam call center office located in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, in March of last year, threatening and assaulting employees with weapons, and stealing approximately 69 million won worth of cryptocurrency (Tether), among other valuables.

Investigations revealed that these members, affiliated with a violent crime organization in the Seongnam area, targeted the illegal scam organization knowing they would not be able to report the crime to the police even if their criminal proceeds were stolen.

In particular, they meticulously planned the crime by securing information in advance regarding the office location and commuting hours through an internal accomplice within the scam organization, purchasing weapons and gloves collectively the day before the crime, and dividing roles into an office director's room infiltration team and an employee monitoring team.

Due to their assault, one member of the scam organization suffered injuries requiring three weeks of medical treatment, including three broken teeth.

C, one of the accomplices, also made retaliatory threats while detained in prison after running into a victim, telling them, "When did we ever carry knives? Make sure your statements are straight."

During the appeal trial, some defendants claimed a misconception of facts, arguing that they did not lead the crime or that their degree of participation was low, but the court did not accept these claims.

The appellate court stated, "The defendants' culpability is extremely high given that they targeted a stock investment scam organization, purchased multiple weapons, assigned roles to each other, and premeditately committed a robbery in broad daylight."

It further explained, "Synthesizing the statements of accomplices and the roles shared at the crime scene, the fact that the defendants centrally participated in the crime is sufficiently recognized."

However, the court explained the reasoning for the sentencing by stating, "We took into consideration favorable circumstances, such as the fact that the defendants have reached settlements with some of the victims by this appellate trial, and those victims do not wish for their punishment."

It was also revealed that the call center employees who were robbed of their valuables by A's gang were themselves members of a criminal organization that had engaged in investment scams totaling around 1.2 billion won, and they were apprehended together.

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