"Breaking" about knowing the Provincial Chairman, the woman appropriated hundreds of millions of dong

On October 11, the Provincial People's Court opened a first-instance criminal trial and sentenced defendant Cao Thi Tam (born in 1985, residing in Hung Thong commune, Hung Nguyen district) to 9 years in prison for the act of "Fraud and appropriation of property".

According to investigation documents, from June 2014 to February 2016, taking advantage of the trust of some people, by tricking them into applying for jobs, Tam appropriated a total of 660 million VND from Mr. Tran Anh Q., Nguyen Hung Q. and Vo Trung K.

Defendant Cao Thi Tam in court. Photo: Tran Vu

Previously, in June 2014, because he needed to find a job for his wife, Mr. Q. asked an acquaintance, Dinh Ngoc Dinh (residing in Nhan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district) for help. This person then introduced Mr. Q. to Cao Thi Tam because she knew and knew that Tam's family had a relationship with the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province at that time.

Knowing that he did not have the conditions and ability to find a job, Tam still accepted and promised to apply for a job at a hospital in Vinh City. Tam quoted the job application fee as 180 million VND. With absolute trust, Mr. Q. handed over the full amount to Tam.

The second victim was also introduced by someone else, so he knew that Tam had connections with provincial leaders, so he came to ask for help. Tam "bragged" to Mr. Nguyen Hung Q. that he had connections with people working in the city and would ask them to find a job for Mr. Q.'s daughter for 300 million VND. Trusting him, Mr. Q. gave the requested amount to Tam to "get the job done".

Not only did Tam deceive strangers, he also deceived his own acquaintances. In February 2016, knowing that Mr. Vo Trung K.’s daughter had just graduated from a teacher training college and was looking for a job, Tam immediately approached him. Tam “bragged” that he had connections with many teachers and the provincial chairman, so he would help Mr. K.’s daughter get a job as a teacher at a kindergarten in Hung Nguyen district.

Mr. K. then gave Tam 180 million VND. After receiving the money from the victims, Tam used it for personal purposes and spending. Tam lost all the documents and papers related to the job application.

After waiting for a while but not receiving the job offer notice, the victims became suspicious. They then asked Tam to return the deposit they had made, but he refused.

Before the trial, defendant Tam returned 180 million VND to Mr. K., and Mr. H. was returned 55 million VND. Mr. Q. alone has not received any money from Tam.

In court, Cao Thi Tam confessed to all her crimes. Tam admitted that she was not able to find a job, nor did she know the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province, but she "bragged" to defraud and appropriate money from the victims, and used the money to spend.

Speaking at the court, the victims were upset and said that because of Tam's fraud, their family's lives were turned upside down. Many victims even held the book and borrowed money at high interest rates to pay Tam. Therefore, they asked Tam to return the money he had taken. As for Mr. K., because he had received all the money back, he asked for a reduced sentence for Tam.

Standing in front of the witness stand, Tam sobbed as she recounted her difficult circumstances, her husband being a soldier on an island. “The defendant is raising a young child, and the four of us are currently renting a house, so I ask the panel of judges to consider reducing my sentence,” Tam said in court.

The panel of judges determined that the defendant’s actions were condemnable and violated the law. Although he was unable to find a job, out of greed he defrauded and deliberately “fabricated” his relationships to deceive victims and appropriate their property.