Maserati hit-and-run accomplices apprehended on charges of operating illegal gambling sites

The Gwangju Police Agency has apprehended a significant number of individuals linked to the main suspect of the 'Maserati hit-and-run' incident, who attempted to flee overseas after causing injuries to a couple riding a motorcycle.

Through the follow-up investigation of the hit-and-run perpetrator, 33-year-old Kim, the police successfully tracked down the illegal gambling organization revealed during the investigation.

On the 19th, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Police Agency announced that they had arrested nine members involved in operating illegal gambling websites associated with Kim on charges of violating the Law on the Regulation of the Establishment of Gambling Spaces and Concealment of Earnings from Criminal Activities. It was discovered that hundreds of billions of won in bets were exchanged, with numerous participants in these illegal gambling sites.

The police have also identified over 440 individuals who participated in gambling on the site, charging them with gambling offenses and are progressively forwarding their cases to the prosecution. Additionally, more than 60 individuals linked to the laundering of gambling funds and transactions involving fake bank accounts are under investigation for violations of the Electronic Financial Transactions Act.

Organized illegal gambling network and fake car operations

Investigations revealed that the illegal gambling site that Kim and others were involved in operated in a decentralized manner with servers located in Southeast Asia.

The police are closely tracking their communication and account transaction records, focusing their investigative efforts on capturing the main operators.

Meanwhile, the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Gwangju Police Agency has already forwarded 31 individuals, including the corporate representatives owning the Maserati vehicle involved in the accident, to the prosecution on charges of operating fake vehicles (violations of the Automobile Management Act).

The corporation was found to own and distribute around 10 vehicles suspected to be fake.

Moreover, three individuals linked to the distribution of fake phones used by Kim during his escape have been sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Telecommunications Business Act.

The police plan to request administrative actions such as operation suspensions from the relevant authorities for uninsured vehicles with expired mandatory comprehensive insurance.

Progress and verdict of the Maserati hit-and-run case

Kim, the Maserati hit-and-run perpetrator, was prosecuted for violating the Law on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes (causing injury while fleeing) and aiding the escape of a criminal, receiving a sentence of 7 years and 6 months in the appellate trial held on the 12th of this month. This is a reduced sentence compared to the 10 years sentenced in the first trial, but it remains the maximum sentence according to sentencing guidelines.

At around 3:11 AM on September 24 of last year, Kim, with an estimated blood alcohol concentration of 0.093%, was driving the Maserati at a speed of 128 km/h on a road in Hwadong, Seo-gu, Gwangju (where the speed limit is 50 km/h) when he collided with a motorcycle ahead.

In this accident, the couple in their 20s sustained injuries, and Kim fled the scene without providing assistance.

Immediately after the accident, Kim attempted to leave the country via Daejeon and Incheon but fled back to Seoul, where he was apprehended in a nightlife district in Gangnam on September 26, more than 67 hours later.

Although the prosecution retroactively calculated Kim's blood alcohol concentration at the time of the accident to apply charges of drunk driving, the second trial court, unlike the first, ruled "the evidence is insufficient" and found him not guilty of the drunk driving charge.

Image source: A man (33) who, while under the influence, drove a Maserati, colliding with a motorcycle and causing injuries to the couple, fleeing the scene / News1, reference photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank, at around 3:11 AM on September 24, a Maserati registered under a corporate name in Seoul collided with a motorcycle, resulting in two injuries, on a road in Hwadong, Seo-gu, Gwangju. / News1