On 9/9, Nguyen Tan Hung, 36, a former official of the Vung Tau City People's Committee's Department of Internal Affairs, was sentenced to 17 years in prison by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Court for fraud, including two years from a "job placement" scam case in June. The court ordered him to compensate two of the three victims over 1.7 billion VND.

The judging council determined that despite having no authority over land matters, Hung fabricated stories about his ability to handle land procedures to defraud victims and use the money for personal expenses and debt repayment. His actions were deemed serious, negatively impacting social order and demonstrating contempt for the law.

Nguyen Tan Hung listens to the verdict. Photo: Truong Ha

Nguyen Tan Hung listens to the verdict. Photo: Truong Ha

According to the indictment, in early 2024, Hung knew his former high school teacher had agricultural land confiscated for road construction and wasn't eligible for resettlement land allocation. However, he claimed he could secure three plots in the resettlement area for 300-500 million VND each.

To build trust, Hung sent photos of the project to the teacher's son, claiming he had already purchased the land and requested money for "deposits" and a "land lottery." Trusting her former student, the teacher and her son transferred over 1 billion VND to Hung, which he then used for personal expenses and debt repayment.

Through a referral from the teacher, another woman contacted Hung to purchase resettlement land. Hung proactively contacted her, boasting about his ability to secure two plots at the same price offered to the teacher.

In August 2024, he signed a service contract for compensation, clearance, and resettlement dossiers with this woman, promising to provide two 90-square-meter plots for a total of 900 million VND. The woman gave Hung 700 million VND in cash for the land, unaware that she was being deceived.

In addition to these two victims, Hung also defrauded another individual of 970 million VND, promising to handle land subdivision and land-use conversion procedures in Ward 12, Vung Tau City, despite knowing the land wasn't eligible. After receiving the money, Hung ceased contact.

At the trial, the teacher described Hung as a kind person who often helped those in need. She believed he acted out of desperation. She had learned that Hung contracted HIV while helping a traffic accident victim, not through reckless behavior.

Despite not receiving compensation, she pleaded with the court for leniency, hoping Hung would repay the money soon as she had to borrow from others who were also struggling financially.

The individual defrauded of 970 million VND did not request compensation.

In his final statement, Hung apologized to the victims and stated his family was selling a plot of land to provide restitution. Truong Ha