Mistress who absconded with $1.9M is nabbed

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Mistress who absconded with $1.9M is nabbed

The 33-year-old female mistress of a 62-year-old businessman was arrested for taking off with 2.15 billion won ($1.9 million) of his money.

The Gangnam Police Precinct in Seoul announced on Tuesday that the woman, along with her 37-year-old boyfriend, was arrested and charged with grand larceny.

The police recovered 1.4 billion won and is trying to trace the remaining 400 million won. The couple admitted to having spent 350 million won on hotel bills, luxury goods and renting an extravagant apartment.

The affair between the woman and the married businessman, a successful entrepreneur, began a decade ago. The mistress was able to enjoy a wealthy lifestyle without holding a proper job.

But last February, the businessman ran into troubles and was forced to sell one of his companies. He was paid 2.15 billion won in 50,000 won bills, which he stored in his mistress’s house in four bags. The mistress felt she deserved some of the money in acknowledgement of their long-term relationship, and was taken aback when the businessman told her to “not be greedy.” The money was going to be used by the businessman’s son to start a business.

On Dec. 20, the mistress stole all four bags of cash and fled to the house of her 37-year-old boyfriend, whom she was dating secretly.

The two moved into a hotel room that cost hundreds of thousands of won per night, and then rented an expensive apartment in Seoul, paying for everything in cash. She bought luxury goods and an expensive car.

The woman managed to elude capture by using a burner phone and moving from hotel to hotel via call taxis. Her life on the run ended after three days, however, as the police tracked her boyfriend’s location and arrested him on Dec. 22.

After closely examining his cellphone records, the woman was apprehended and the stolen money was recovered. The police said they will also “trace the source of this 2.15 billion won, and thoroughly examine the probability of tax evasion.”

BY KIM DA-YOUNG [lee.haesun@joongang.co.kr]
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