From gambling addict to reckless con artist

Despite having four previous convictions, he continued to commit fraud.

At 48 years old, an age when most people have settled down, or even become grandparents, the place Vu Thanh Trung (residing in Nghi Xuan commune, Ha Tinh province) frequently visits is prison. This is because, for a long time, he has been repeatedly sentenced to prison for gambling and property theft.

The first sentence Vu Thanh Trung received was six months in prison for abuse of trust and misappropriation of property in 2007. After serving his sentence, Trung left his hometown and moved to Hanoi to start a new life. But in the bustling capital, he still couldn't find a suitable job to make a living.

Lacking self-control and having a gambling addiction, Trung participated in the act.gambleIn early 2012, Trung was sentenced by the People's Court of Tu Liem District (formerly), Hanoi, to 4 months and 4 days for gambling.

Shortly after being released from prison, the young man returned to his old ways, engaging in gambling. Trung was arrested again and sentenced to 7 months in prison by the Hanoi City People's Court.

One might have thought that returning to normal life at the age of 38, Trung would focus on working hard, building a stable life for his family. But his gambling addiction remained, so when he had money, Trung would actively squander it on gambling. Like falling into a muddy pit, the more he struggled, the deeper he sank, becoming increasingly frustrated by losses and attempts to recoup them, only to lose again. Eventually, Trung lost all his money and accumulated a criminal record. In May 2021, Vu Thanh Trung was sentenced to 36 months in prison by the People's Court of Nam Tu Liem District (formerly), Hanoi, for gambling.

After his release from prison, Trung returned to his hometown to start a new life. However, with unstable employment and a desire for money, he once again found himself back on the path of crime. This time, Trung conceived the idea of ​​renting a self-driving car and then pawning it for cash.

On July 25, 2024, Trung went to a self-drive car rental shop in Vinh Phu ward (Nghe An province) to rent a Hyundai Tucson (valued at over 616 million VND). Trung explained that he needed the car for business purposes, and the shop owner agreed. The two parties signed a rental contract for one month, for 30 million VND. Trung paid a deposit of 15 million VND and pledged "not to pawn, mortgage, or consign the car."

However, after renting the car, Trung drove to Hanoi to find a place to pawn it. Through a friend's introduction, on July 27, 2024, Trung brought the car to meet Mr. Cao Xuan T. (born in 1981) and said he wanted to pawn the car to borrow money for his business. Trung lied, saying the car was his but the vehicle's documents were being held by his younger brother, so he asked Mr. T. to temporarily pawn it for 10 days to borrow 100 million VND. Because of the introduction, Mr. T. agreed to pawn the car.

Trung's scam didn't end there. Two days later, he came to redeem the car and paid a total of 102.5 million VND (including interest) to Mr. T. Trung's goal was to build trust with the pawnshop, and then return to pawn the car for a larger sum.

Therefore, three days later, Trung brought the car to Mr. T. to pawn it for 200 million VND, with a loan term of two months and an agreed interest rate of 1,000 VND per 1 million VND per day. To establish trust, Trung and Mr. T. agreed to draw up a deposit contract for 200 million VND, representing the purchase price of the car at 800 million VND. Trung also committed that the car was not obtained through illegal activities, and that he would receive the remaining amount upon delivery of the original documents.

After pawning the car, Trung used the money for personal expenses and partly to pay the rental fee to the shop owner to avoid suspicion. The rental shop owner only discovered the unusual activity when they noticed the car's GPS was missing and Trung hadn't paid the full rental fee. At this point, they asked Trung to return the car, but Trung revealed that he had pawned it and didn't have the money to redeem it.

The vicious cycle of imprisonment

After a long wait without a resolution, on April 23, 2025, the car owner filed a complaint with the police accusing Vu Thanh Trung of fraud and misappropriation of property. The following day, Trung surrendered to the police. On the same day, Mr. T. learned that the car he had received as collateral from Trung was obtained through criminal activity, so he proactively went to the Nghe An Police to hand over the vehicle.

The trial of defendant Vu Thanh Trung for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property took place on a day at the end of October 2025. Outside, it was raining heavily, and the defendant's relatives sat sadly in the courtroom. The defendant, however, seemed quite calm, as he was very familiar with the courtroom environment.

The defendant claimed that because he had recently been released from prison and was unemployed, he committed the fraud. At this point, the judge questioned him: "According to your testimony, you resort to fraud whenever you're unemployed?" The defendant remained silent in response. He then continued to explain his circumstances.

Regarding the money obtained from fraudulently pawning the car, the defendant claimed to have spent it all. However, when questioned about what the money was spent on, the defendant remained silent. The defendant admitted that his past gambling addiction led to his imprisonment, and since then, a vicious cycle of crime and imprisonment has plagued him.

The defendant's defenses were rejected by the prosecutor. According to the prosecutor, difficult circumstances and unemployment after being released from prison are unacceptable reasons for defrauding others. Many people are in far worse situations than the defendant; some even have disabilities and still sell lottery tickets to make a living.

The defendant is healthy and able-bodied, so why didn't he earn money honestly instead of resorting to fraud? It would be better if he had never committed a crime before, but he has been to prison multiple times. After his release, he should have realized his past wrongdoings and reformed himself to earn an honest living, but instead he continued to commit crimes.

During the trial, the panel of judges reminded the defendant that he needed to stop and turn over a new leaf. Gambling had caused the defendant to lose his true nature and spiral down a path of crime. Despite having four previous convictions, the defendant failed to recognize his wrongdoings and correct his behavior. Instead, he continued to use deceptive tactics to seize the victims' property and illegally pawn it.

According to the panel of judges, the defendant's repeat offense was an aggravating circumstance in the case, thus requiring a harsher punishment. Therefore, the court sentenced Vu Thanh Trung to 12 years in prison for the crime of fraud and appropriation of property. In addition, the court also ordered the defendant to return the money to the victim.

This fifth prison sentence is the price the defendant must pay for his disregard for the law. Hopefully, during his time in prison, the defendant will realize his mistakes and turn over a new leaf while he still has the chance.