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| Winning the lottery sounds great, but be careful what you wish for. gettyimagesbank |
By Jung Min-ho
The winner of a 1.9 billion won ($1.6 million) lottery lost all the money in just eight months and is now under investigation for alleged theft.
According to Busan Yeonje Police Station Monday, the man, 39, is being investigated for allegedly stealing 36 million won from 16 restaurants in Busan and Daegu over the past two years.
Investigators found that the man boasted of having won the lottery to a taxi driver. Based on that information, they identified the suspect, who was already put behind bars for extortion and other offenses.
According to police, he won the lottery (1.4 billion won after tax) in 2006. But after wasting the money on partying and gambling, he went broke in eight months.
A year later, he was arrested for stealing from a jewelry store and was eventually sentenced to a year in prison.
Police said he has since been in and out of prison for various crimes, mostly theft.
"Winning the lottery could have been a turning point for him, but he blew it," a police officer reportedly said. "I hope he will live a new life after finishing his sentence this time."
