As a local influencer, Chin Tung Sheng (pic) had more than 334,000 followers on his Instagram account, where he flaunted the high life in branded garb and posted pictures of himself in fancy cars.
His carefully curated world came crumbling down on March 7, when he pleaded guilty to seven charges, including cheating, theft and forgery.
And yesterday, Chin’s reality took a sharp turn: Dressed in a plain white prison shirt, the 26-year-old appeared in court via video link and was sentenced to 32 months and one week in jail.
District Judge Kenneth Chin said it was clear that Chin was a prolific fraudster who committed multiple similar offences over a substantial period of time.
“His forged documents ranged from bank statements, Acra business accounts, and even a letter from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“He also created 26 separate e-mails and 27 mobile numbers to further his schemes.”
The judge disagreed with the defence’s submissions that Chin’s actions were not premeditated, pointing to how Chin had scouted a Sentosa bungalow several times and even went there at different times of the day, pretending to be interested in renting the house.
Investigations revealed that Chin had broken into the house between November and December 2023 and stolen around S$200,000 (RM667,052) worth of designer items, including Louis Vuitton trunks and other display ornaments. No restitution has been made to date.
In 2020, Chin also forged multiple documents as he wanted to convince potential business partners that he had connections to the government and had strong financial backing.
He also made use of a letter that was addressed to his previous company from the Prime Minister’s Office and changed its contents to make it seem like it was addressed only to him, thanking him for helping Singapore by providing medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While delivering his sentence on March 19, the judge said the length of the jail term was appropriate and could not be said to be crushing, as Chin had committed multiple offences. — The Straits Times/ANN
