Latest news with #DrugTraffickingandOtherSeriousCrimes
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Ex-lawyer convicted over charges for cheating company director of more than S$8mil
SINGAPORE: A former lawyer has been convicted for tricking a director of two companies into dispersing more than S$8 million into his own company following a trial. On Aug 8, Then Feng, 43, was convicted of all 16 charges he was fighting. This includes cheating, forgery and charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Then, who is out on a $450,000 bail, will return to court on Oct 24 to give his mitigation plea. He will also be sentenced on the same day. The crux of the trial was to determine if Then had misrepresented to Andrew Ling Hui, the director of Providence Asset Management and 5 and 2, into believing that Ling was procuring services from and dealing with Walkers, an international law firm. The lawyer was then employed by Walkers and had learnt that his firm was going to launch an affiliated corporate and fiduciary services firm in 2015 named Walkers Professional Services in the Cayman Islands. In June 2015, Then incorporated a company of the same name in the British Virgin Islands without his company's knowledge. He admitted to basing the entire branding of his firm, from the name to its logo, on that of Walkers' business – but insisted that he had set up the firm at the time without any intention of Sometime in 2018, Then told Ling that Walkers could provide escrow services for cryptocurrency transactions. He added that those services would be done with a bank account under Walkers Professional Services. The prosecution's closing submissions pointed out that Ling had believed the services would be rendered to him by Walkers, the international law firm, and not Then's personal company. In April 2018, Then and Ling agreed to buy a foreign bank together. Under the agreement, Then told Ling that Walkers would provide escrow services for the transaction, and that monies provided for the acquisition would be held in a bank account controlled by Walkers. To that end, Ling arranged for various payments amounting to more than S$8 million to be made to what he believed was Walkers' bank accounts, but he had unknowingly wired the money to Then's company. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei said Then had also given Ling documents with a logo that is 'indiscernible' from the logo used by Walkers. In his defence, Then said he had incorporated a firm named after Walkers' business due to his 'quirky key sense of humour', and it was done in 'good fun'. He added that he had meant for the branding of his company to be a 'tongue-in-cheek insider thing', and that the company would only be known to his friends and close business associates. But the prosecution said Then had only got to know Ling two months prior to telling him about the firm, and that Ling could scarcely be considered Then's close friend or business partner at the point. DPP Tan said it was also unbelievable that an accomplished corporate lawyer, such as Then, would have found the arrangement amusing as it was fraught with risk for both himself and his firm. To that end, she pointed out that Then had concealed the existence of his identically-named firm from his company, as he was on the verge of being made partner at the law firm and was aware of the problems his incorporated company could pose to him. In fact, Then was later terminated from the law firm after his incorporated company was discovered by another partner at Walkers. The prosecution added that while the defence had sought to impugn Ling's credibility, Ling had been candid and forthright on the stand and consistent with the evidence he had provided in terms of the communication between the pair. On the other hand, DPP Tan said Then had been 'dishonest, evasive and disingenuous' on the stand. His explanations concerning the use of an identical name and logo for his own firm with Walkers' business was also described as being 'fundamentally absurd'. If found guilty of forgery for the purpose of cheating, Then can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each charge. He can receive the same punishment for each count of cheating and dishonestly inducing a delivery of property. He can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000 or both for each charge under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Ex-lawyer convicted over charges for cheating company director of more than $8 million
SINGAPORE - A former lawyer has been convicted for tricking a director of two companies into dispersing more than $8 million into his own company following a trial. On Aug 8, Then Feng, 43, was convicted of all 16 charges he was fighting. This includes cheating, forgery and charges under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Then, who is out on a $450,000 bail, will return to court on Oct 24 to give his mitigation plea . He will also be sentenced on the same day. The crux of the trial was to determine if Then had misrepresented to Mr Andrew Ling Hui, the director of Providence Asset Management and 5 and 2, into believing that Mr Ling was procuring services from and dealing with Walkers, an international law firm. The lawyer was then employed by Walkers and had learnt that his firm was going to launch an affiliated corporate and fiduciary services firm in 2015 named Walkers Professional Services in the Cayman Islands. In June 2015, Then incorporated a company of the same name in the British Virgin Islands without his company's knowledge. He admitted to basing the entire branding of his firm, from the name to its logo, on that of Walkers' business – but insisted that he had set up the firm at the time without any intention of it being associated with Walkers. Sometime in 2018, Then told Mr Ling that Walkers could provide escrow services for cryptocurrency transactions. He added that those services would be done with a bank account under Walkers Professional Services. The prosecution's closing submissions pointed out that Mr Ling had believed the services would be rendered to him by Walkers, the international law firm, and not Then's personal company. In April 2018, Then and Mr Ling agreed to buy a foreign bank together. Under the agreement, Then told Mr Ling that Walkers would provide escrow services for the transaction, and that monies provided for the acquisition would be held in a bank account controlled by Walkers. To that end, Mr Ling arranged for various payments amounting to more than $8 million to be made to what he believed was Walkers' bank accounts, but he had unknowingly wired the money to Then's company. Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Pei Wei said Then had also given Mr Ling documents with a logo that is 'indiscernible' from the logo used by Walkers. In his defence, Then said he had incorporated a firm named after Walkers' business due to his 'quirky key sense of humour', and it was done in 'good fun'. He added that he had meant for the branding of his company to be a 'tongue-in-cheek insider thing', and that the company would only be known to his friends and close business associates. But the prosecution said Then had only got to know Mr Ling two months prior to telling him about the firm, and that Mr Ling could scarcely be considered Then's close friend or business partner at the point. DPP Tan said it was also unbelievable that an accomplished corporate lawyer, such as Then, would have found the arrangement amusing as it was fraught with risk for both himself and his firm. To that end, she pointed out that Then had concealed the existence of his identically-named firm from his company, as he was on the verge of being made partner at the law firm and was aware of the problems his incorporated company could pose to him . In fact, Then was later terminated from the law firm after his incorporated company was discovered by another partner at Walkers. The prosecution added that while the defence had sought to impugn Mr Ling's credibility, Mr Ling had been candid and forthright on the stand and consistent with the evidence he had provided in terms of the communication between the pair. On the other hand, DPP Tan said Then had been 'dishonest, evasive and disingenuous' on the stand. His explanations concerning the use of an identical name and logo for his own firm with Walkers' business was also described as being 'fundamentally absurd'. If found guilty of forgery for the purpose of cheating, Then can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined for each charge. He can receive the same punishment for each count of cheating and dishonestly inducing a delivery of property. He can be jailed for up to 10 years, fined up to $500,000 or both for each charge under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act.
International Business Times
30-07-2025
- International Business Times
Two Men Charged Over Suspected Involvement in Government Official Impersonation Scams in Singapore
July 30, 2025 19:08 +08 Representational image Pixabay Two men, aged 30 and 37, were arrested for their suspected involvement in several cases of government official impersonation scam ("GOIS"). The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Wednesday, July 30, that they received a report of GOIS involving the impersonation of a government official purportedly from the Monetary Authority of Singapore on May 17 May. Reportedly, the victim had allegedly handed over more than S$43,000 in cash to the 30-year-old man, a cash mule, after being instructed by the scammer to do so. The victim was told that she had been implicated in an offence and was required to surrender the funds for investigative purposes. SPF said, "Through extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command arrested the two men on July 28. The two men are believed to be accomplices who worked together in facilitating the scam syndicate to retain benefits from criminal conduct." "Preliminary investigations revealed that the 30-year-old man had purportedly collected the cash from the victim on behalf of the scam syndicate before handing over the cash to an unknown person. Prior to their arrest on July 28 July, the 30-year-old man had also allegedly collected S$47,000 from another scam victim before handing the cash to the 37-year-old man. The cash amounting to S$47,000 was recovered upon their arrest. The two men are believed to be involved in other similar cases," added the police. On Wednesday, July 30, the two men will face charges under Section 51 of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 for abetment by conspiracy to assist another in keeping the benefits of criminal activity. The offense is punishable by up to ten years in prison, a fine of up to half a million dollars, or both. Related topics : Singapore crime
New Paper
29-06-2025
- New Paper
Jail for woman who helped sister to obtain bank accounts, ATM cards for use in scams
Lured by the promise of money, a woman decided to take up her sister's offer to obtain bank accounts and cards in exchange for payment. Despite suspecting that the accounts would likely be used for illicit activities from the onset, Nguyen Lan Dung, 24, agreed to the arrangement. On June 19, the Vietnamese national was sentenced to 10 months' jail after pleading guilty to three charges under the Computer Misuse Act, and one under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act. Eleven charges of a similar nature were taken into consideration during the sentencing. Dung was also fined $1,700. Investigations revealed that after Dung agreed to the arrangement, she reached out to a man to say she knew people who would pay him for control of his bank account. Court documents do not reveal how investigations into Dung and her sister started. Sometime in March 2024, the man agreed and gave up his bank details and the corresponding physical ATM card. Dung handed over the card and login details to her sister and her sister's boyfriend, and was paid $700. Court documents stated that the man's bank account and ATM card were later found to be linked to extortion scams, and were used to transact a flow of scam proceeds. Under the arrangement, Dung would also act as the point of contact for other Vietnamese nationals who were willing to sell their bank accounts. She would earn between $500 and $700 for each bank account she helped to procure. Sometime in March 2024, she managed to obtain two different bank accounts from two Vietnamese nationals. Court documents do not reveal how Dung had managed to contact the two. Around the same period, Dung, along with her sister and her sister's boyfriend, arranged to sell 11 bank accounts to unknown persons. Dung's sister, Nguyen Huong Giang, remains on the run from Singapore.
AsiaOne
28-06-2025
- AsiaOne
3 men charged for alleged involvement in Pokemon card scams; believed to have cheated victims out of $57k, Singapore News
Three men aged between 21 and 28 will be charged in court on Saturday (June 28) for their suspected involvement in money laundering and unauthorised access to computer material, in a case that involved the selling of Pokemon trading cards. In a press release on Saturday (June 28), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said: "Between May and June 2025, the police received several reports from victims who were cheated by an online seller who was selling Pokemon trading cards on Carousell. After the victims made payment via bank transfers, they did not receive the said trading cards. "When questioned, the seller claimed he was in a business venture with another supplier who did not honour the transactions upon receiving payments." Officers from the Commercial Affairs Department conducted follow-up investigations and discovered the identities of the supplier and two accomplices, and arrested them on June 26 and 27, SPF said. The police believe the men have been involved in more than 50 similar scams, cheating victims out of at least $57,000. One man, 26, will be charged under Section 55A(1)(a)(i) of the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 "with the offence of assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct". It is punishable by a prison term of up to three years and/or a fine not exceeding $50,000. The two others, aged 21 and 28, will be charged with "accessing without authority bank accounts belonging to separate individual to withdraw payments" under Section 3(1) of the Computer Misuse Act 1993. They can be imprisoned for up to two years and/or pay a fine of up to $5,000. Between January and February 2025, at least 50 people had fallen victim to Pokemon card scams and had been cheated out of over $163,000. Scammers would engage potential victims on Facebook or Carousell, before convincing them to move their conversations to WhatsApp or Telegram, SPF said on Feb 6. The victims would then make payments via PayNow or bank transfers, and only realise they were scammed after the cards would fail to arrive or the sellers would cease communications with them. In their recent statement, the SPF advised the public to only communicate with sellers within the apps and to conduct transactions in person so they can inspect products before making payment. "Be wary of e-commerce scam red flags such as large discounts for faster transactions. Do not transfer money to anyone you do not know. Never disclose your personal information, internet banking or One-Time passwords to anyone," the SPF said. They also encourage members of the public to download the ScamShield app on their phones to block and filter SMSes, and set up security features on payment methods. The public can also use official channels including the ScamShield app, their 24-hour hotline at 1799 and their website at to check for signs of scams, or discuss with a trusted person. SPF also recommends reporting suspicious listings or user profiles to Carousell or Facebook through their in-app reporting functions. If someone suspects that they have been scammed, they should call their banks to report and block fraudulent transactions as well as lodge a police report. [[nid:514707]] drimac@
