'Sin Sae Shogun' sentenced to 4,355 years' jail

'Sin Sae Shogun' sentenced to 4,355 years' jail

Public tricked with prospect of 'free travel'

The Criminal Court sentenced Pasist Arinchalapis, also known as Sin Sae Shogun, and two other defendants yesterday to 4,355 years in jail each for defrauding the public by selling memberships to their online food supplement company.

Pasist Arinchalapis, also known as Sin Sae Shogun, arrives at the Criminal Court in Bangkok from the Central Women's Correctional Institution yesterday. She and two other defendants were each sentenced to 4,355 years in jail for defrauding the public by selling memberships for their online food supplement company based on false promises, among other charges. Apichart Jinakul

Public prosecutors arraigned Sin Sae Shogun and nine other defendants in court on fraud and other charges relating to their online business Wealth Ever, which lured many people into paying 9,700 baht each for membership, with the offer of bonus free tours around Asia.

Instead, more than 800 people who paid and joined found themselves stranded and flightless at Suvarnabhumi airport on April 11 last year, having discovered their promised tour to Japan had never been booked.

Total damages were estimated at 51 million baht, with 871 damaged parties.

The defendants, who had pleaded not guilty but were held without bail, were convicted of luring the plaintiffs into buying membership between January and April last year.

There were 60 complainant witnesses and 40 defendant witnesses originally, but only 10 of the latter testified in court.

The Criminal Court yesterday found 31-year-old Sin Sae Shogun, the second defendant in the case, the fifth defendant and the eighth defendant, guilty on 871 counts and sentenced them to 4,355 years in total in prison.

Charges included fraudulent borrowing, illegal business, computer crime, and customs offences of buying or accepting falsely declared imported goods.

The court then capped the time they will actually serve in prison at the maximum of 20 years, as required by law.

Sin Sae Shogun was also fined 20,000 baht on charges of distributing food supplements with false labels.

The court fined Wealth Ever Co, the first defendant in the case, 435.5 million baht for violations of the loan and food laws, and ordered the confiscation of all the firm's food supplement products.

The court ordered the four convicted defendants to refund a total of 51 million baht, along with 7.5% annual interest, to 871 damaged parties.

The other two convicted defendants were: Tatdao Samukkasikun, 36, personal secretary to Shogun and the fifth defendant; Parinthorn Honghiran Duckor, 36, the eighth defendant.

After hearing the sentences, the convicted defendants cried and were hugged by their families who gave them moral support. Only Pasist showed no emotion.

The other six defendants were acquitted and would be released from prison.

According to officials, Pasist has changed her name more than 10 times.

She has been embroiled in several fraud cases since 2012 although she managed to reach a settlement with her victims in some cases, resulting in the revocation of her arrest warrants.

Her case drew public attention to tourism-related fraud.

In October, a tour operator was arrested after leaving dozens of holidaymakers stranded at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Patchthanat Wongwangjan, 31, of Pranom Travel in Nakhon Ratchasima, was detained after 61 of his clients lodged a complaint with police accusing him of cheating them out of a total of 1.8 million baht for package tours to Japan.

If convicted, he would be subject to a maximum fine of 500,000 baht.

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