Former Samsung Pitcher An Ji-man Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Acquaintances of Over 200 Million Won Despite 2 Billion Won Debt

Former professional baseball Samsung Lions pitcher An Ji-man, 43, has been sentenced to prison for failing to repay money borrowed from acquaintances.

The Daegu District Court announced today (October 14) that Judge Jeon Myeong-hwan, presiding over Criminal Case Division 11, sentenced An, who was indicted on fraud charges, to 1 year and 8 months in prison.

An was put on trial for borrowing 228 million won from an acquaintance, Person B, on two occasions between April 2016 and June 2016 under the pretext of needing construction costs, and failing to pay it back.

He was also indicted for borrowing 94 million won from another acquaintance, Person C, between December 2015 and October 2017 under the guise of needing funds for lawyer selection fees and other expenses, and failing to return it.

Investigations revealed that An had been implicated in an overseas illegal gambling scandal in October 2015, which led to his exclusion from the Korean Series roster that year and prevented him from receiving his salary, leaving him with substantial debt to financial institutions and other entities.

During the trial, An denied any intent to commit fraud, claiming that he expected to return as a professional baseball player following the investigations and trials, but the court rejected his argument.

Based on the victims' statements and financial transaction records, Judge Jeon determined that at the time he borrowed the money, An already shouldered debts amounting to approximately 2 billion won and deceived the victims regarding his ability and intention to repay.

The judge stated, "The defendant did not use the money borrowed from the victims for its stated purpose," adding, "Had the victims known that the borrowed funds would be used for other purposes, they likely would not have lent money to the defendant."

The judge further explained the sentencing rationale, noting, "The court took into consideration the fact that the defendant repaid 25.9 million won to one of the victims and transferred his passenger vehicle as a form of repayment."

Previously, in April 2018, An was sentenced by the Daegu District Court to 6 months in prison with a 2-year probation period for violating the National Sports Promotion Act, a sentence that was finalized on April 28 of that same year.

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