The greedy hired hand

Four years ago, Tinh started working for Hien Nguyen's shop (a pawn shop and used car buying and selling business located in Dong An 1 hamlet, My Xuyen ward), owned by the couple Nguyen Tan Hien and Truong Ba Thanh Truc. During this time, Tinh gained the owners' trust, was entrusted with managing the shop, and lived in the house like a family member, without any suspicion. On July 19, 2022, Mr. Nguyen Tan Hieu (Hien's father) brought 2.1 billion VND to pay Hien. Present at the time, seeing the large sum of money, Tinh conceived the idea of embezzling a portion of it.

At approximately 9:30 AM on July 22, 2022, Mr. and Mrs. Hien left the house for an errand. Before leaving, they carefully locked the bedroom door, as it contained 1.9 billion VND. However, they left the bedroom key in the trunk of their motorbike parked inside the house. Knowing this, Tinh took the key, opened the bedroom door, and stole 500 million VND.

The money he embezzled was spent lavishly: He bought an iPhone 13 Pro Max for over 44 million VND; a motorcycle for 38.5 million VND; deposited 299 million VND into his personal account; and deposited 150 million VND into the account of Thich Thi Truc Ly (Tinh's wife). Later, from his personal account, Tinh transferred 243 million VND to Ly and 50 million VND to Ngo Thi Bich Nhung (Tinh's mother-in-law). During this time, he quit his job and went to Binh Duong province to visit Ly.

Defendant Tinh listens to the sentencing.

Upon discovering the money was missing, Mr. Hien's family identified Tinh as the culprit and reported him to the investigative authorities. When summoned for questioning, Tinh transferred 390 million VND into Mr. Hien's account, handed over the motorcycle and mobile phone he had recently purchased with the stolen money, along with over 10 million VND in cash, and surrendered to the My Xuyen Ward Police, confessing to his crime. On August 1, 2022, Tinh was formally charged and is under investigation.

At the public trial, the panel of judges determined that the defendant, Tinh, possessed full criminal capacity, responsibility, and social awareness. Ideally, having been trusted and hired by the victim's family as a worker, treated like a relative, the defendant should have known to work diligently and cooperate with them to earn a legitimate and stable income to support himself and his family.

However, the defendant took advantage of their kindness and exploited loopholes in asset management to steal a large sum of money. The defendant's actions demonstrate a frivolous and extravagant lifestyle, disregarding the value of life and existing relationships. A strict punishment is necessary to serve as an educational , deterrent, and preventative measure for the general public.

Although Tinh returned all the stolen property to the victim, his actions violated Point a (appropriating property worth 500 million VND or more) Clause 4 (punishable by imprisonment from 12 to 20 years). The Provincial People's Court sentenced Tinh to 7 years in prison for the crime of "Theft of property," after applying mitigating circumstances as prescribed by law. Regarding those involved (Tinh's wife and mother-in-law), they were unaware that the money was stolen by the defendant and voluntarily returned it to the victim, so the investigating agency did not consider their criminal liability.

This case serves as a cautionary tale about hiring domestic helpers and laborers. Typically, domestic helpers live with their employers and are familiar with the daily routines and schedules of each family member. Sometimes, when homeowners are careless and leave valuable possessions exposed, it can tempt the helper to steal.

Therefore, when hiring a domestic helper, people need to carefully consider their background and connections; pay attention to their behavior and attitude to detect any abnormalities in time; and not entrust their house and property to them for safekeeping when they are away. Property, regardless of its value, must be stored carefully, leaving no room for thieves. In addition, consider installing surveillance cameras and intruder alarms in the area where property is stored.

NGUYEN HUNG

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