SINGAPORE: A former Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) captain was jailed for 21 months and two weeks on Wednesday (July 29), after admitting to cheating nearly S$87,000 from five colleagues and vaping.
Benjamin Song Yong Pang, 38, was also fined $6,000. He pleaded guilty to five cheating charges and four vape-related charges, including possession of vaping devices.
He has since made full restitution to his victims, many of whom were his subordinates.
Court documents show that between 2011 and 2018, the former SAF captain incurred significant amounts of credit card debt from his patronage of Thai clubs and KTVs. The exact amount of his debt was not stated.
At the time, the serviceman was a deputy cluster commander at a supply base.
Over more than 39 occasions between May 2021 and March 2024, Song deceived the five colleagues by lying that he would help to invest their money, or claiming that he needed money for his mother’s medical bills.
His colleagues handed to him a total of $86,750 on separate occasions.
Each colleague was cheated of amounts between $10,000 and $27,050.
Song also started using e-vaporisers some time from late 2021, and he openly vaped in his office at Nee Soon Camp.
Investigations found that his conduct created a culture where vaping was normalised among his subordinates.
Leveraging his rank, Song recruited colleagues to order vapes and vape pods on his behalf.
The Health Sciences Authority said Song had enlisted three subordinates on multiple occasions to procure and pass the vape products to him.
One of his subordinates admitted that he had assisted Song as he was afraid to say no to his superior officer.
Investigations also found that Song had introduced a female colleague to vaping by giving her a vaping device and distributing vape pods to her. - The Straits Times/ANN
