The Dong Thap Provincial People's Court sentenced Le Huu Hieu, 31, to 17 years in prison on 21/4 for property fraud.

Le Huu Hieu in court. Photo: Nam An

Hieu, who finished grade 6, previously transported rice for factories in An Giang, gaining connections with many traders. His gambling in Cambodia fueled his desire for money, prompting him to devise a fraud scheme.

Through a rice broker, Hieu contacted Mr. Ngoc in Lai Vung district, Dong Thap province. Hieu introduced himself as "Thanh", claiming he needed to buy rice in bulk at a high price. Mr. Ngoc, trusting the arrangement, transacted over the phone, never meeting Hieu.

To build trust, Hieu initially made partial payments. Between April and May 2024, Mr. Ngoc sold Hieu 21 boatloads of rice, over 1,660 tons, valued at more than 14 billion VND.

With the rice secured, Hieu contacted two rice mills in An Giang and Dong Thap, reselling it for over 12,5 billion VND. The mills, enticed by the price, agreed to the purchases.

To obscure the money trail, Hieu instructed the mills to transfer funds to an acquaintance's account. This money then distributed across 19 accounts. Hieu paid Mr. Ngoc over 8,2 billion VND. He embezzled the remaining nearly 6 billion VND, citing excuses like export delays, rice in storage, or frozen accounts, before taking the money to Cambodia for gambling.

Upon realizing he was defrauded, Mr. Ngoc reported the incident to police. Police subsequently arrested Hieu. The victim seeks compensation of over 4,3 billion VND.

Hoang Nam

*Victim's name has been changed.