JOHOR BARU: Fifteen members of an online job scam syndicate, including five Chinese nationals, have been fined by the Magistrate’s Court here after pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit cheating.
The group, which targeted victims in the United States, was fined between RM3,500 and RM4,200 each in two separate courtrooms on Wednesday (Sept 30).
In the first courtroom, Magistrate Nurzihan Abdul Rehman fined nine local men RM3,500 each, in default of six months’ jail, after they pleaded guilty to the charge.
The nine were Liew Ming Hui, 23; Chong Yong Xuan, 25; Gan Kai Lin, 20; Gan Wei Xiang, 23; Myles Tan Yi, 21; Eldrick Tan Chin Lim, 24; Tan Hong Wei, 23; Dennis Chong Wen Wei, 26; and Chuah Kian Wei, 21.
They were charged under Section 417 of the Penal Code for committing the offence at an apartment unit in East Ledang, Iskandar Puteri, at around 5:30 pm on Sept 25. The section carries a maximum jail sentence of six months, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Meanwhile, in a separate courtroom before Magistrate Atifah Hazimah Wahab, six others, including a local man and five Chinese nationals, pleaded guilty to a similar charge.
Local national Yau Chin Lin, 33, alongside Chinese nationals Dong Ningning, 34; Chen Haihui, 40; Wang Mengnan, 34; Li Xing, 28; and Sun Qixin, 30, were fined RM4,200 each, in default of six months' imprisonment.
The charge was read to them in Mandarin for an offence committed at another apartment unit in the same area at around 2.40pm on Sept 25.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Nor Deana Aqilah Alima and Sarah Siti Aisyah Mustapha Kamal prosecuted the cases, while all 15 accused were represented by defense counsel.
