Former T-ara member Ahreum sentenced to 6 months prison in 37 MILLION fraud case

Former T-ara member Ahreum, also known as Lee Ahreum, has been found guilty of fraud and sentenced to 6 months in prison by the Ansan Branch of the Suwon District Court. The singer, who was charged of deceiving acquaintances and fans out of millions of Korean won, also received a two-year suspension.
According to the court ruling, reported by allkpop, Ahreum was indicted without detention for borrowing money from fans and acquaintances between March and May 2023 under false pretences. The report claims that the star took loans for 'personal matters' but ultimately failed to repay the borrowed amounts. The total sum involved is estimated to be around 37 million KRW.
Victims reported that the singer cited 'emotional distress' due to “relationship issues” and “personal hardships” as reasons for needing the money. When she failed to return the funds, several individuals filed formal complaints.
Ahreum initially denied the allegations and linked the fraudulent activity to hacking and her then-boyfriend. However, when police investigations uncovered the facts, she confessed to acting alone on the fraud.
This case marks the latest legal troubles for the former idol. She previously received an eight-month prison sentence, also suspended for two years, on charges of child abuse and defamation. The charges stemmed from emotionally abusing her children by verbally confronting her ex-husband in front of them and publicly defaming an individual connected to a dispute involving a former boyfriend during a livestream.
Ahreum rose to fame after joining girl group T-ara in 2012 but left the group just a year later in 2013. She married a businessman in 2019 and had two sons before their divorce in 2023. Later that year, she remarried her boyfriend and welcomed her third child in November. Reports now indicate she is pregnant with her fourth child.