Singapore Man Jailed After Stealing and Gambling Away S$50K

Lee Yi Wei, 36, from Singapore, was sentenced to 12 months in jail after admitting to stealing S$50,000 ($39,000 USD) worth of red packets from a wedding at the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach and engaging in gambling through an unlicensed service provider.

The Man Was Sentenced to 12 Months in Jail

On June 24, the man was sentenced to 12 months in jail after pleading guilty to one count of theft and one count of gambling with an unlicensed service provider. District Judge Christopher Goh also ordered Lee to repay the victims; if he fails to do so, he will serve an additional 100 days in jail.

State prosecuting officer Segathesan Kannapan said that Lee had previously worked at the hotel and was well-acquainted with the layout of the ballroom and the reception setup. After discovering the money boxes were missing and reviewing CCTV footage showing Lee’s actions, the wedding organizer contacted the police around 1 pm.

Lee, who was unrepresented by a lawyer, expressed remorse during his mitigation and offered an apology to the victims, admitting that he should have thought of the consequences. He explained he committed the crime due to his own gambling addiction and acted out of desperation.

Here’s Further Details About the Case

The crime took place during a wedding lunch on April 5 at the grand ballroom of JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach. State Prosecuting Officer Segathesan Kannapan informed the court that Lee, who had previously worked at the venue, was familiar with the ballroom’s layout. He was aware that money boxes containing red packets were typically placed on a registration table in the foyer during wedding receptions. At around 12:50 pm, when the table was briefly left unattended, Lee seized the opportunity to steal two money boxes containing a total of S$48,939 and fled the scene. 

Investigations revealed that Lee had stashed the stolen money in a locker at the National Library in Bugis and used S$348 (around $272 USD) of it to purchase new clothes at Bugis Junction. After changing into the new outfit, he retrieved the remaining cash from the locker and left the library. He then spent another S$60 on clothing at Raffles City shopping mall.

Later that same day, Lee deposited S$36,331 ($28,347 USD) of the stolen funds into a bank account using ATMs at various locations. The money was subsequently converted into online gambling credits, which he used to place 195 bets over the next two days on an unlicensed gambling website. He also visited the Singapore Pools outlet on Middle Road, where he gambled S$12,200 ($9,518 USD) of the stolen money. 

Lee was arrested on April 7, with S$3,000 ($2341 USD) of the stolen money still in his possession at the time.