Men Who Spiked a Crypto YouTuber’s Coffee to Steal Coins Sent to Jail for 3 Years

Crime Cryptocurrency Legal Social media South Korea

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Tim Alper

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Tim Alper

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Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked...

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June 26, 2023

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Two South Korean YouTubers who robbed a fellow crypto broadcaster by spiking them with sleeping pills and stealing USD 660,000 worth of tokens, have been sentenced to three years behind bars – after a disagreement about sharing the profits of their social media behavior got out of hand.

EDaily reported that two men, surnamed Kwon and Im, both described as office workers aged 44, were handed three years in prison, as well as four years of probation, in addition to 120 hours of community service and 40 hours of education after drugging a man named by the media outlet for legal reasons only as A.

The trio, a branch of the Seoul Central District Court heard, had been co-running a popular crypto-themed channel. It appears that A was the broadcaster, and that Kwon and Im likely worked behind the scenes on production or had minor roles on the channel, with A the “face” of the channel.

The court heard that the three people “got into an argument” over a variety of issues, including the “distribution of profits” raised through the channel last year.

When A did not agree to Kwon and Im’s demands and threatened to quit the channel, the court heard, on the evening of June 27, Kwon and Lim put sleeping pills into a cup of coffee A had been drinking. When A later collapsed, the duo stole A’s mobile phone, wallet, laptop, and official seal (used to verify financial transactions in South Korea).

The next day, A discovered that the duo had “used the stolen items” to transfer just under USD 660,000 worth of unspecified cryptoassets from A’s wallets to their own accounts.

However, Kwon and Im appear to have been struck very quickly by pangs of remorse. After A telephoned them the following day, they proceeded to repay the YouTuber USD 446,000. And in an apparent effort to persuade A not to press charges, they then offered their former colleague an additional USD 330,000.

The presiding judge stated that this apparent attack of regret was cause for leniency, but stated that their actions were nonetheless “condemnable in light of the nature of their actions” as well as “the scale of their gains.”
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