Female con artist impersonates lawyer, defrauds nearly 7 billion VND.
Despite lacking a stable job, Tran Thi Thuy always boasted about being a lawyer with extensive connections, capable of handling legal cases, obtaining land ownership certificates, and arranging overseas employment... Using these tactics, in just 6 months, Thuy defrauded 29 victims in various provinces and cities, appropriating nearly 6.9 billion VND.
On April 22, the Nghe An Provincial People's Court continued the first-instance trial of defendant Tran Thi Thuy (40 years old, from Ha Tinh province, residing in Dong Thach commune, Hoc Mon district, Ho Chi Minh City) on the charge of "Fraudulent appropriation of property.
According to the indictment, Tran Thi Thuy, although not a lawyer, exploited the anxiety and lack of understanding of some people to deceive them by promising to "fix" cases and "secure bail" for individuals arrested for gambling offenses.
Thuy quoted a fee of 250 million VND for bail and 270 million VND for "avoiding criminal prosecution." Believing Thuy's promises, many people contacted her seeking help in getting their cases dismissed or bail secured, and were subsequently scammed and defrauded of large sums of money.
In addition to the aforementioned scams, Thuy also claimed to be able to "arrange land ownership certificates," facilitate overseas employment, and issue international driver's licenses to deceive many people.
After receiving money from the victims, Tran Thi Thuy spent it all on personal expenses without fulfilling her promises.
Investigators determined that from October 2023 to March 2024, Tran Thi Thuy repeatedly defrauded and misappropriated money from 29 victims residing in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, and Ho Chi Minh City, totaling nearly 6.9 billion VND.
Standing before the witness stand, the defendant admitted to the crimes as charged in the indictment. Thuy admitted that she was not a lawyer but, wanting money for personal expenses, devised schemes to defraud the victims.
Attending the trial, the victims demanded that the defendant return the money to them. The defendant apologized to the victims and asked the court to consider mitigating circumstances and reduce his sentence.
Considering the defendant's actions were illegal and dangerous to society, the court sentenced Tran Thi Thuy to 20 years in prison for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property. Regarding the civil aspect, the court ordered the defendant to return the money to the victims.
