SINGAPORE: The sole owner of a Shenton Way consignment store that sold luxury bags on their owners’ behalf misappropriated nearly S$140,000 from five victims.
Ringga Dwi Rizky Irianto, 36, who operated West Closet at the OUE Downtown Gallery shopping mall, has since made $41,000 in restitution, and she was sentenced to eight months’ jail on Thursday (Aug 13).
She was also ordered to pay $91,950 in compensation to the victims through an investigation officer handling her case.
She will have to spend an additional 24 days behind bars should she fail to pay the amount.
The Indonesian offender had pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal breach of trust involving a victim each, and they involved $108,000 in total.
Two other charges linked to the remaining victims and amount were considered during her sentencing.
Court documents stated that West Closet had advertised its services via its accounts on online marketplace Carousell and social media platforms such as Instagram.
Customers had to leave their bags at the store for 60 days or incur a $60 penalty fee.
West Closet would take a cut of the earnings after it sold the bags on the owners’ behalf.
This cut ranged from $200 to $900, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Darren Sim.
On July 2, 2022, one of the victims put up three bags – two Hermes and one Chanel – on a consignment basis at West Closet and was guaranteed a total of $51,000 if they were sold.
The victim then received a notice that expressly guaranteed that once the bags were sold, the payment would be credited to the victim’s bank account within seven days.
Ringga later sold all three bags and earned around $51,000.
Instead of handing the amount to the victim as agreed, she misappropriated the money by putting it towards another customer’s order.
Using a similar method, she misappropriated $33,500 from a second victim who had placed an Hermes bag for sale at West Closet.
Separately, Ringga misappropriated another $23,500 from a third victim who had also placed an Hermes bag for sale at the store.
Ringga was arrested in September 2022 and was charged in 2024.
Her bail was set at $15,000 on Aug 13, and she is expected to begin her jail sentence in October.
For each count of criminal breach of trust, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years, fined or both. - The Straits Times/ANN
