A man in his early twenties has been sentenced to prison after stealing credit cards during early-morning car break-ins and using them to purchase expensive electronics, including iPhones.
On Monday, Judge Hong Joon Seo of the Incheon District Court in South Korea sentenced the defendant to three months in prison. He had been indicted on charges of aggravated theft.
The defendant was charged with conspiring with another man to break into an unlocked car in an apartment complex’s underground parking garage in Seo-gu, Incheon, at 2:40 AM on April 20, last year. They stole a credit card, 60,000 won in cash (approximately $41), and $20.
Investigators discovered that on April 21, the defendant used the stolen credit card to purchase electronics worth 3.79 million won (about $2,582), including two iPhones and earphones, from a mobile phone store in Yeonsu-gu. On the same day, he also used the stolen card to buy gas for his vehicle.
Judge Hong stated, “At the time of the offense, the defendant had no prior convictions beyond a fine.” He explained, “The sentence was decided after considering several factors, including the defendant’s age, background, motive for the crime, methods, the impact of the crime, and the circumstances following the offense.”