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A computer “geek” accused of defrauding an elderly customer of more than $363,000 has returned the money, but continues to insist he did not steal it. Byung Uk Cho, 27, was granted bail on Wednesday after nearly two months on remand in Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre. The South Korean national, who is also known as Kevin Cho, had been in custody since he was arrested at Sydney Airport in early October and extradited to the ACT. Police say that while Mr Cho was working as a technician for Geeks2U in Canberra, he was tasked with visiting the home of an 89-year-old Yarralumla woman to repair her computer. It is alleged that over a subsequent period of eight months, beginning in June 2019, Mr Cho dishonestly transferred $363,020 of the woman’s money into his own bank accounts. Police launched an investigation in March this year after being contacted by the woman’s suspicious cousin. Mr Cho first applied for bail earlier this month, when his barrister Peter Berg said there was no dispute that the money in question had been transferred to the 27-year-old’s accounts. But Mr Berg claimed there was no dishonesty involved, and said his client was helping the elderly woman make investments. On that occasion, Special Magistrate Margaret Hunter refused bail after expressing concerns that Mr Cho might immediately try to spend or hide the money from authorities if released. When Mr Cho applied for bail again in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Mr Berg said his client had arranged for the return of “the full amount of money”. A cheque for the alleged victim had been given, he told the court, to a senior detective who nodded in agreement from the public gallery. Magistrate James Lawton said the return of the funds seemed to be “a pretty compelling admission” of guilt, but Mr Berg described the entire scenario as “an unfortunate misunderstanding”. Mr Berg said Mr Cho had struck up a friendship with the 89-year-old woman, but did not have “complete facility in the English language”. This, he said, may explain how things went awry when Mr Cho had tried to help the elderly woman invest in real estate in South Korea. “[The return of the funds] is telling of there always being an intention that the money would be used for investment purposes,” Mr Berg said, as he indicated not guilty pleas to all charges. “There is no suggestion it’s been dissipated in criminal or otherwise salacious ways.” But prosecutor Isabella Coker argued that it made “no sense” that an elderly widow with no ties to South Korea would want her money invested there by someone who had come over to fix her computer. Ms Coker said Mr Cho had in fact taken advantage of an “extremely vulnerable” woman. He should be refused bail, she contended, because he was likely to receive a custodial sentence if convicted in what was “a strong prosecution case”. The prosecutor also argued that while Mr Cho claimed he was merely trying to return to South Korea for mandatory military service when he was arrested at the airport, “the inference can still be drawn that [he] was attempting to flee prosecution”. Ms Coker said Mr Cho had a real incentive to go straight back to his homeland if released because he could be liable to serve jail time there if he did not start his service before his next birthday. The ACT did not have a bilateral extradition treaty with South Korea, she told the court, and Mr Cho would therefore be unlikely to ever face justice here if he did return to his native country. But Mr Lawton said that in circumstances where the money had been returned and Mr Cho’s passport had been surrendered, bail considerations could ameliorate the prosecution’s concerns. He released Mr Cho to live at an address in Gungahlin, and imposed conditions including that he must not leave the ACT. The case returns to court in February next year.
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A computer “geek” accused of defrauding an elderly customer of more than $363,000 has returned the money, but continues to insist he did not steal it.
Byung Uk Cho, 27, was granted bail on Wednesday after nearly two months on remand in Canberra’s Alexander Maconochie Centre.
Police say that while Mr Cho was working as a technician for Geeks2U in Canberra, he was tasked with visiting the home of an 89-year-old Yarralumla woman to repair her computer.
It is alleged that over a subsequent period of eight months, beginning in June 2019, Mr Cho dishonestly transferred $363,020 of the woman’s money into his own bank accounts.
Police launched an investigation in March this year after being contacted by the woman’s suspicious cousin.
Mr Cho first applied for bail earlier this month, when his barrister Peter Berg said there was no dispute that the money in question had been transferred to the 27-year-old’s accounts.
On that occasion, Special Magistrate Margaret Hunter refused bail after expressing concerns that Mr Cho might immediately try to spend or hide the money from authorities if released.
When Mr Cho applied for bail again in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Mr Berg said his client had arranged for the return of “the full amount of money”.
A cheque for the alleged victim had been given, he told the court, to a senior detective who nodded in agreement from the public gallery.
Magistrate James Lawton said the return of the funds seemed to be “a pretty compelling admission” of guilt, but Mr Berg described the entire scenario as “an unfortunate misunderstanding”.
Mr Berg said Mr Cho had struck up a friendship with the 89-year-old woman, but did not have “complete facility in the English language”.
This, he said, may explain how things went awry when Mr Cho had tried to help the elderly woman invest in real estate in South Korea.
“[The return of the funds] is telling of there always being an intention that the money would be used for investment purposes,” Mr Berg said, as he indicated not guilty pleas to all charges.
“There is no suggestion it’s been dissipated in criminal or otherwise salacious ways.”
But prosecutor Isabella Coker argued that it made “no sense” that an elderly widow with no ties to South Korea would want her money invested there by someone who had come over to fix her computer.
Ms Coker said Mr Cho had in fact taken advantage of an “extremely vulnerable” woman.
He should be refused bail, she contended, because he was likely to receive a custodial sentence if convicted in what was “a strong prosecution case”.
The prosecutor also argued that while Mr Cho claimed he was merely trying to return to South Korea for mandatory military service when he was arrested at the airport, “the inference can still be drawn that [he] was attempting to flee prosecution”.
Ms Coker said Mr Cho had a real incentive to go straight back to his homeland if released because he could be liable to serve jail time there if he did not start his service before his next birthday.
The ACT did not have a bilateral extradition treaty with South Korea, she told the court, and Mr Cho would therefore be unlikely to ever face justice here if he did return to his native country.
But Mr Lawton said that in circumstances where the money had been returned and Mr Cho’s passport had been surrendered, bail considerations could ameliorate the prosecution’s concerns.
He released Mr Cho to live at an address in Gungahlin, and imposed conditions including that he must not leave the ACT.
The case returns to court in February next year.
