Pasist Arinchalapis, also known as Sin Sae Shogun, and nine other defendants entered pleas of not guilty at the Criminal Court yesterday on charges of public fraud and others relating to membership of their online food supplement company.
The defendants were taken to court from the Central Women's Correctional Institution and the Bangkok Remand Prison.
They face charges relating to their online business Wealth Ever, which attracted people to buy food supplement memberships worth 9,000-20,000 baht with the offer of free Asian tours.
Instead, about 1,000 people found themselves stranded at Suvarnabhumi airport on April 11, having discovered their promised tour to Japan had never been booked.
The defendants, all relatives, were arrested the following day as they were about to leave the country through Ranong province.
On Thursday public prosecutors charged Sin Sae Shogun, 30, and the other defendants with fraudulent borrowing, operating an illegal business, computer crime, distributing food supplements with incorrect labels, and customs offences of buying or accepting falsely declared imported goods.
The prosecutors also asked the court to order them to refund money to 871 damaged parties, with 7.5% annual interest.
Total damages were estimated at 51 million baht.
The defendants allegedly lured the plaintiffs to buy memberships between January and April in exchange for promised free trips to South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan.
The 10 defendants were taken to the court to enter pleas yesterday.