Daejeon '6.2 Billion Won' Cheonsei Fraud Couple Reveals Photos of U.S. Deportation

U.S. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The faces of a jeonse fraudster and his wife, who had a luxurious escape from the United States after stealing 6.2 billion won in deposits from 90 tenants in Daejeon, have been revealed.

The U.S. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently released photos of Nam and Choi in their 40s who were repatriated to Korea on the 19th of last month on their website.

The couple was arrested through the Seattle office of ICE's Executive Returning Operations Team (ERO) after being wanted in South Korea on fraud charges. It was then escorted to South Korea on Dec. 20 by a joint repatriation team consisting of the National Police Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

They are accused of buying 11 multi-family houses in Daejeon from 2019 to April 2023, and then stealing 6.2 billion won from 90 applicants for lease on a deposit basis or monthly rent contract.

He fled to the U.S. in September 2022, and recently moved to Atlanta, where Nam's older sister is, where he lived in a luxury residential area and continued his leisurely life.

When the Korean National Police Agency asked the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) in December last year to place a red order against them, Interpol immediately issued a red order. The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Federal Customs and Border Protection (CBP) under the U.S. Federal Department of Homeland Security worked with the Korean police to secure the couple's whereabouts.

As the investigation network narrowed, the couple fled from Atlanta to Seattle, but as personal information about Nam's sister spread online, witnesses about the couple also began to appear.

The police obtained information on the residential area and requested emergency cooperation from the U.S. Bureau of Enforcement and Eviction Operations (ERO), the U.S. deportation agency, to arrest the suspect after a two-month incubation.

The federal immigration court ordered the couple to leave the country voluntarily, and was repatriated to Korea last month after being escorted by the ERO Seattle team and Korean officials.

Earlier, one of the victims, a man in his 50s, reportedly made the extreme choice in June last year after being swindled by them with 80 million won in deposit for lease on a deposit basis.

Reporter Lee Yu Na from Digital News Team.