Blackmailing 2 town vice chairmen, sentenced to 17 years in prison

After 3 days of deliberation, on the afternoon of December 27, the People's Court of Thanh Hoa province reopened the first instance trial of the criminal case against 6 defendants including: Le Xuan Hoang (born 1978); Nguyen Quoc Hung (born 1979); Le Tran Sinh (born 1974); Le Tran Tien Dat (born 1998); Le Doan Tai (born 1985); Pham Van An (born 1988), all residing in Thanh Hoa province, for the crime of "Extortion of property".

According to the indictment of the People's Procuracy, the defendants Le Xuan Hoang and Nguyen Quoc Hung were classmates in class D29, People's Security Academy (Ministry of Public Security). After graduating, the two worked in different units, but still kept in regular contact.

In 2007, Le Xuan Hoang was disciplined by the General Department of Security (Ministry of Public Security) by being stripped of his title of People's Police Officer. Hoang then returned to his hometown in Hoang Thinh commune, Hoang Hoa district (Thanh Hoa) to live and work as a freelancer.

Recently, Hoang worked as a security officer for Nghi Son Environmental Joint Stock Company.

Defendant Hoang, the mastermind, was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Nguyen Quoc Hung, for personal reasons, left the police force at the end of 2017 and became a freelance worker in Hanoi.

After the Lunar New Year 2020, due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, Hung returned to Thanh Hoa city to live with his wife and children and asked Le Xuan Hoang to help him find a job in Tinh Gia district.

At this time, Hoang said he had a simple job to do to get money quickly, which was to pretend to be a business owner and go to the office of the leaders of Tinh Gia district (now Nghi Son town) to give money and gifts, then secretly record a video as evidence to threaten and intimidate them mentally in order toblackmailappropriation of property

Once they accepted the offer, both of them worked out a script. Nguyen Quoc Hung played the role of Phong - Director of Trang Phong Construction Mechanical and Trading Services Co., Ltd. (abbreviated as Trang Phong Company), located in Thanh Hoa City, went to Tinh Gia District People's Committee to meet Mr. Ho Dinh Tung and Mr. Truong Ba Duyen - Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee to ask for help for businesses to invest in projects; apply for land mining; bid... in the district, then gave money, gifts and secretly used hidden camera equipment to bring back to Le Xuan Hoang.

6 defendants at trial.

In mid-May 2020, to carry out the above act, Le Xuan Hoang prepared 500,000 VND bills and 100 USD bills. Hoang then assigned Le Tran Tien Dat (Hoang's cousin) to use a car to take Nguyen Quoc Hung to the People's Committee of Tinh Gia district, to Mr. Ho Dinh Tung's office to give Mr. Tung two times the money, a total of 30 million VND. In addition, he also gave Mr. Truong Ba Duyen 1 tael of animal glue, 15 million VND and 1,000 USD.

Upon obtaining the videos of giving and receiving money, defendant Le Xuan Hoang directly composed a letter threatening Mr. Tung to give 5 billion VND and Mr. Truong Ba Duyen 20 billion VND, otherwise he would spread the videos on social networks.

At about 4:30 p.m. on May 16, 2020, under Hoang's direction, Le Tran Tien Dat drove to pick up Le Tran Sinh (Hoang's cousin) and went to the houses of the two district Vice Chairmen to send a blackmail letter.

After sending the letter, Hoang gave the USB containing data and an anonymous complaint accusing Mr. Ho Dinh Tung of receiving "grease money" from the business to Pham Van An - a reporter from the Business Finance Magazine to "shake" and "threaten" him so that he would be afraid and have to give money.

Pham Van An knew clearly that Hoang's purpose was to use the press to threaten and blackmail, but he still agreed to accept the offer and invited Le Doan Tai - Reporter of Business Finance Magazine to join.

According to the panel of judges, this is a particularly serious case of property extortion. The defendants’ actions not only violated other people’s property but also negatively affected public order and security, causing panic among the masses.

The People's Court of Thanh Hoa province decided to sentence the defendants Le Xuan Hoang to 17 years in prison; Nguyen Quoc Hung to 38 months in prison; Le Tran Sinh; Le Tran Tien Dat to 36 months in prison; Le Doan Tai to 32 months in prison; and Pham Van An to 34 months in prison.