SEUNGRI SENTENCED TO 3 YEARS IN JAIL

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Singer Seungri has been sentenced to three years in jail for arranging prostitution services for foreign investors and overseas gambling. The judges said he deserves harsh punishment for his crimes.

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​Last year, Singer Seungri was indicted for arranging prostitution services and repeatedly gambling overseas. His arrest warrants were dismissed twice during the investigation. The K-pop star later began his military service and was tried in court as a serviceman. A military court sentenced Seungri to three years behind bars. He was arrested in court. The judges also ordered the former BigBang member to pay over one billion won in restitution, the amount that he acquired through overseas gambling and failed to report to the South Korean government. The singer’s attorney said Seungri had no reason to arrange prostitution services. But the judges rejected the claim. The ruling says Seungri deserves harsh punishment for conspiring with former Yuri Holdings CEO Yoo In-seok to arrange prostitution services for potential foreign investors and reaping large profits in the process. The judges also pointed out that gambling by renowned celebrities undermines sound labor consciousness and causes harm to society. Seungri is also found guilty of embezzling his night club’s funds and hiring organized crime groups to threaten people who got into arguments while partying together. Seungri was indicted for arranging prostitution services for foreign investors from December 2015 until January 2016, and reaping around 2.2 billion won in profits by gambling in Las Vegas over three years from December 2013. The idol star is to finish his military service next month. If he appeals his verdict, his discharge from the military will be postponed and he will be tried in a military court again. If the verdict issued by the court is finalized, Seungri will be discharged from the military ahead of time and put in prison to serve his sentence.