A 24-year-old Permanent Resident (PR), Sheng Qing, has been jailed 20 months and fined S$15,000 for renting out multiple condominium apartments as brothels, Today reported.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Sheng pleaded guilty to a total of 21 charges, with 16 counts of cheating landlords into leasing their premises to him, and five counts of using an apartment as a brothel.

He also consented to having an additional 17 charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

Accused was addicted to online gaming

Court documents further stated that Sheng was addicted to online gaming and unable to repay friends whom he had borrowed money from.

Around May 2018, Sheng came across an advertisement, on an online platform known as "ShiCheng BBS", seeking either Singapore citizens, PRs or S pass holders to sign tenancy agreements in exchange for cash.

Sheng proceeded to contact the advertiser, known only as "DT", who initially told him that the properties to be rented were meant for work permit holders unable to find accommodation.

DT also told Sheng that he would be paid S$300 to S$500 for each tenancy agreement signed.

Sheng also agreed to rent the properties on DT's behalf to earn money, even though he had no intention of living within the properties himself.

Told that the apartments would be used as brothels

When Sheng signed his first agreement on May 11, 2018, he asked DT what the rented condominium apartments would be used for.

In response, DT told him that the units would be used as brothels and house prostitutes.

Despite knowing this, Sheng proceeded to cheat unsuspecting landlords in such a manner 28 more times, until June last year.

As part of the agreement between the two parties, DT would contact Sheng to provide him with the contact numbers of property agents representing landlords of certain properties.

Sheng would then meet the property agent, sign the agreement, and forward the landlord's bank account information to DT, who would pay the deposit.

In addition, once Sheng took possession of the keys to the property, he would hand the keys over to unknown runners, who also paid him.

Many of the apartments he rented were eventually raided

Many of the apartments he rented were subsequently raided, from June 2018 to August 2020, resulting in multiple Chinese nationals being arrested for prostitution.

Sheng himself was first called down for police investigations on November 19, 2018, for his involvement in the offences.

He was arrested on June 13, 2019, at Changi Airport Terminal 2, Singapore and released on bail.

However, the prosecution noted in its submissions that Sheng was undeterred by neither the investigations nor his arrest, and continued his offences.

In seeking an imprisonment term of at least 25 months and a fine of S$15,000, the prosecution highlighted that Sheng was a "habitual and persistent offender" and added that his work was "indispensable" to the wider criminal operation.

For each count of cheating, Sheng could have been imprisoned for up to 10 years and fined, while for each count of letting the rented apartment be used as a brothel, he could have been imprisoned for up to five years, or fined a maximum of S$100,000, or be subjected to both.

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Top photo by Matthias Ang