S'pore influencer, 26, admits to stealing Louis Vuitton & other items worth S$200,000 from Sentosa bungalow

A Singaporean influencer on Mar. 7 admitted to seven charges for offences related to theft, cheating, and forgery.

Chin Tung Sheng committed offences from April 2020 to December 2023, which included breaking into a bungalow in Sentosa, forging a letter purporting to be issued by then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, and submitting forged payment receipts to ION Orchard to receive membership points.

The 26-year-old, who has been in remand since December 2023, was known to flaunt his lavish lifestyle on social media.

Stole items amounting up to S$200,000, including Louis Vuitton trunks

Chin went to view a bungalow up for rent on Treasure Island on Sentosa several times between November and December 2023.

During this period, he snuck into the bungalow either by using the passcode at the front door or through the backdoor he had unlocked during his tour of the house to steal two large Louis Vuitton trunks, two middle-sized Louis Vuitton luggage, two small-sized Louis Vuitton boxes, and two display items.

Chin admitted he stole and sold the items online or through luxury resellers to repay his debts.

The items stolen are estimated to cost around S$200,000.

In mid-July 2022, Chin also booked a 13-day stay at Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa, amounting to S$13,200, and proceeded to deceive the hotel receptionist of his payment by using a doctored photo of a PayNow transaction and forged bank documents.

Forged payments in exchange for ION Orchard vouchers

Chin also used 25 different membership accounts and his two personal accounts between Aug. 30, 2020, and Apr. 9, 2021, to submit forged payment receipts to receive membership points.

These were exchanged for ION Orchard vouchers totalling up to S$76,900.

A staff member grew suspicious after they realised all the submitted receipts across different accounts were photographs of electronically created receipts, mostly from a particular Louis Vuitton cash register, and that the points were immediately redeemed as shopping vouchers.

Forged bank documents and forged letter issued by then-PM Lee to fool clients and business partners

In 2020, Chin also forged multiple bank documents, as well as a forged letter purporting to be issued by then-PM Lee, to fool clients and business partners into believing he had connections to the Singapore government and had strong financial backing.

The bank documents involved numerous fake bank account balances, with one that stated Chin had S$1.8 billion in his account.

Investigations revealed the forged letter from the Prime Minister's Office was addressed to Chin's previous company.

Chin changed its contents so the letter appeared to be addressed solely to him, thanking him for the efforts in helping Singapore to provide medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chin also cheated a foodpanda delivery driver by doctoring a S$63 PayNow transaction for pizza that was in fact unpaid.

This led to the money being deducted from the driver's account.

The prosecution sought a sentence of 35 to 44 months’ jail, saying his multiple offences over a period of time highlighted the persistence in his conduct and lack of remorse.

In mitigation, Chin's lawyer said his client suffered significant setbacks to his financial, economic situation, and his career, according to The Straits Times.

Chin's sentence is expected to be delivered on Mar. 19.

Top image via @tungsheng.sg/Instagram