Police have requested a warrant for the pretrial detention of the suspected fraudster at the center of a scandal involving former Olympic fencer Nam Hyun-hee.

The Seoul Songpa Police Station on Thursday filed for the warrant against Jeon Cheong-jo for fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes.

The number of victims who suffered financial losses as a result of Jeon’s fraud has been verified at 15, with the amount of damage totaling some one-point-nine billion won, or around one-point-four million U.S. dollars.

The police apprehended Jeon at a relative's home in the Gyeonggi provincial city of Gimpo on Tuesday after a complaint was filed last Thursday alleging that Jeon had stolen 20 million won in investment funds under the guise of app development.

A day earlier, Seoul's Gangseo District council member Kim Min-seok reported Jeon to the district's police on charges of attempted fraud.

Allegations against Jeon arose following a wedding announcement with Nam, in which the couple claimed the fraud suspect was a third-generation conglomerate scion.