The pork butcher who boasted about being a lawyer defrauded 700 people.

Despite working as a pig butcher, the 46-year-old man boasted about being a skilled lawyer, then tricked 700 people in the two mountainous districts of Tan Uyen and Than Uyen (Lai Chau province).

His actions further complicated the local security situation because recently these two districts have been embroiled in disputes and lawsuits related to the resettlement for the Ban Chat hydroelectric project...

Tan Uyen District currently has 1,187 households with 6,494 people displaced by the hydropower project, who have been resettled in 19 villages. Since 2012, due to a lack of understanding regarding compensation and resettlement, many households have filed complaints to higher authorities, raising concerns about compensation plans, unpaid draft and transportation support funds, discrepancies in electricity subsidies, differences in compensation within the same project, and other unpaid benefits, complicating rural security issues.

"Lawyer" Luu Van Dung stands by his meat stall in Yen Bai.

Through legal awareness campaigns, the nationwide movement to protect national security, and professional investigative methods, since the beginning of May 2016, the Tan Uyen District Police have received information about an individual posing as a lawyer, colluding with individuals who filed complaints regarding compensation for resettlement due to the Huoi Quang - Ban Chat hydropower project in Tan Uyen and Than Uyen districts, in order to solicit additional funds for the people, causing public confusion and anxiety.

In November 2016, the Tan Uyen District Police received complaints from residents of Pa Xom village, Trung Dong commune, Tan Uyen district, and Pa Pang village, Trung Dong commune, Tan Uyen district, accusing 45 people of paying 22.5 million VND to an individual named Dung, who introduced himself as a lawyer from Nghia Lo, Yen Bai, to handle compensation "procedures".

Upon verification, the Tan Uyen District Police discovered that the "lawyer" was Lo Van Dung, 46 years old, registered and living in a non-marital relationship with Lo Thi Huong (34 years old) in Tong Co 3 village, Tan An ward, Nghia Lo town (Yen Bai province), working as a grocery seller and pig butcher in Group 8, Hop Minh ward, Yen Bai city.

Documents seized from Luu Van Dung's home.

Based on the collected documents, on November 14, 2016, the task force of Tan Uyen District Police, in coordination with Yen Bai City Police, conducted an urgent search of Lo Van Dung's residence at Group 8, Hop Minh Ward, seizing 18 kg of documents related to fraudulent activities.

During the initial interrogation, Dung confessed: In early 2016, Dung met Mr. Ha Van Giot, who lived in Team 11, Phuc Than Commune, Than Uyen District. When he and his common-law wife visited Mr. Giot's house, Mr. Giot mentioned that he was among those resettled due to the Ban Chat hydroelectric project and claimed his family had not received adequate compensation. Although Dung knew he couldn't help, he wanted to get some money from Mr. Giot, so he boasted that he was a lawyer who had won many cases and could go to the central government to request more money for Mr. Giot's family. Dung assured him that he could get more resettlement support for Mr. Giot's family. Hearing Dung's words, Mr. Giot gave Dung 10 million dong.

Scenes from the press conference on the afternoon of November 24th.

Later, due to their excessive trust in Dung's exaggerated claims, from April 2016 to November 2016, Mr. Giot and several other residents in Than Uyen and Tan Uyen districts received approximately 700 applications and nearly 300 million VND from people to send to Dung to "handle the procedures".

To gain the people's trust in his "talent," Dung continued to fabricate documents proving that he had sent petitions to the General Secretary, the President, the Government Inspectorate, Vietnam Television, and several other functional agencies. In reality, Dung kept all the documents sent by the people at home and did not move them anywhere because he understood nothing about the compensation and resettlement system.

These documents were seized by the Investigation Police Agency of Tan Uyen District Police during the execution of a search warrant. Dung used the entire sum of nearly 300 million VND, embezzled from resettled households in Tan Uyen and Than Uyen districts, for personal shopping, expenses, land purchases, and savings.

The Tan Uyen District Police are raising awareness and exposing the fraudulent tactics of Lo Van Dung to local residents.

The investigating agency has issued an urgent arrest warrant for Lo Van Dung for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property. Currently, the investigating agency of the district police has issued a decision to initiate a criminal case and prosecute Lo Van Dung as a suspect for investigation according to legal procedures.

At 2 PM on November 24th, in Tan Uyen town (Lai Chau province), the Tan Uyen District Police held a press conference to publicize the results of their investigation into the "Fraudulent appropriation of property occurring in Tan Uyen and Than Uyen districts." Immediately after arresting the suspect Dung, the Tan Uyen District Police coordinated with the district television station to film Lo Van Dung confessing to the crime. They also dispatched officers to several high-risk areas to cooperate with local authorities in educating the public about the tactics of the fake "lawyer," so that people could feel secure in their work and production, and confident in the correct implementation of compensation policies by relevant agencies, and not be misled by malicious individuals who incite unrest and disrupt public order.

According to Dan Tri