An Ji-man (43), a former professional baseball pitcher for the Samsung Lions, has been sentenced to prison for failing to repay money he 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, 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, C, between December 2015 and October 2017 under the pretext of needing lawyer appointment fees and other expenses, without repaying 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, leaving him without his salary and burdened with massive debts to financial institutions and other entities.

During the trial, An denied any intent to commit fraud, claiming, "I expected to return as a professional baseball player after the investigation and trial," but the court rejected this argument.

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

Judge Jeon stated, "The defendant did not use the money borrowed from the victims for its intended 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, taking into consideration that "the defendant repaid 25.9 million won to some of the victims and handed over his passenger car as a means of repayment."

Previously, in April 2018, An was sentenced by the Daegu District Court to 6 months in prison suspended for 2 years on charges including violations of the National Sports Promotion Act, which was finalized on April 28 of that year.

(Photo: Yonhap News)