SEOUL, 25 Feb. (Yonhap) — The Supreme Court has upheld the 1.5-year prison sentence for Cho Se-hyeong, an 85-year-old notorious burglar who was convicted of another theft just a month after being released from prison , officials said. court officials on Saturday.
In January 2022, Cho was arrested for stealing valuables worth 27.5 million won ($21,020) from a luxurious country house in Yongin, 40 kilometers south of Seoul.
He was initially sentenced to two years in prison by a lower court. An appeals court later reduced the sentence to one and a half years in view of his age, state of health and the circumstances.
Cho appealed the decision, but the Supreme Court overturned it and finalized the sentence.
This file photo shows Cho Se-hyeong being put on trial in 2022. (Yonhap)
Cho gained notoriety in the 1970s and 80s as a “big thief” for his tendency to steal only from wealthy and powerful individuals and to use some of the stolen money for charitable purposes.
The burglar was imprisoned several times in the 1970s, and in 1982 he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing from the homes of wealthy people and high-ranking officials.
After his release, Cho claimed to have turned his life around and was involved in missionary work and served as an adviser to a security company.
However, he was caught robbing an empty house in Tokyo in 2001 and jailed five times later in and around Seoul – for theft in 2005, 2013, 2015 and 2019, and for organizing the trafficking of stolen property in 2010.
(END)
#Supreme Court #confirms #jail #penalty #notorious #burglar
#Supreme #Court #upholds #prison #sentence #notorious #burglar
