Thai woman gets 830 years’ jail for defrauding 166 workers with fake jobs in Australia
In a shocking fraud case, a 28-year-old woman from Thailand was sentenced to 830 years in jail for scamming 166 Thai workers with job offers in Australia.
The victims had filed complaints after paying fees ranging from 60,000 (S$2,367) to 120,000 baht (S$4,736) each, lured by promises of high-paying jobs in the agricultural and hospitality sectors abroad.
In total, the scams resulted in losses exceeding 10 million baht (S$394,596). None of the workers were sent to Australia as promised.
Source: Thairath
Sentence reduced to 332 years, with max imprisonment capped at 20 years
Aoi (name transliterated from Thai), the suspect, had allegedly conspired with family members and acquaintances, including her father, mother, grandparents, boyfriend, and a former deputy subdistrict officer.
Earlier in January, she was arrested under charges of defrauding members of the public by pretending to secure overseas jobs.
Source: Workpoint News
During a court hearing on Wednesday (20 Aug), Aoi was sentenced to 830 years in prison for the 166 charges she faced.
However, her sentence was reduced by half to 332 and 996 months as she had confessed to the crimes.
Although Aoi’s jail term amounted to several centuries, she is required to serve only 20 years because of a legal cap on prison sentences.
Source: Thairath
The court also ordered Aoi to repay the victims 10,790,000 baht (S$425,769). Some of her assets have also been seized, reports Thai news outlet Workpoint News.
Further investigation ongoing
Meanwhile, the six other individuals implicated by the victims — all of whom denied involvement — are under investigation.
Prosecutors are also tracing financial transactions linked to Aoi and may file additional charges if they are found to be connected to the fraud.
Also read: Woman Gets 12 Years’ Jail For Scamming Victims Of Over S$2.1M, 2 S’pore Actresses Affected
Woman Gets 12 Years’ Jail For Scamming Victims Of Over S$2.1M, 2 S’pore Actresses Affected
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Featured image adapted from Workpoint News and Thairath.
