A former employee of Fantagio has been sentenced in his first trial for pocketing commission fees in the process of signing endorsement deals for the agency’s artists.

The Seoul Central Courts recently sentenced the former Fantagio employee “A” to 10 months in prison on charges that included fraud. The former employee’s friend “B” was also given six months in prison and two years of probation for aiding in the scheme.

“A” was charged with fraud on allegations that he pocketed approximately 20 percent of endorsement deals for agency artists under the guise of commission fees. The scheme took place from December 2016 to February 2018 for a total of 105 million won (approximately $88,200). “B” aided in the scheme, and though he was not involved in the actual process of endorsement selection, “B” pocketed 8.6 million won (approximately $7,200) while “A” took (approximately $81,000). The celebrities who were affected included girl groups Weki Meki and Hello Venus.

The judge in the trial stated, “The crime that the two people committed cannot be taken lightly as they defrauded others out of more than 100 million won,” and “‘A’ must especially face a harsh punishment as he went against his job and led the crime, and he kept most of the money for himself.”

The judge then explained the reasoning behind the differing sentences as he said, “They have admitted to their crimes and are reflecting, and they do not have any past criminal record. In the case of ‘B,’ he was following the orders of ‘A’ and did not profit as much from the crime.”

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