Man, 33, steals 88 bottles of liquor worth S$25,454 from MBS' Cé La Vi to resell on Carousell

A 33-year-old man stole 88 bottles of liquor worth S$25,454 from Marina Bay Sands' Cé La Vi rooftop bar over the course of two months in 2023.

He worked as a waiter at the establishment.

Apart from the theft, the man also cheated a victim of S$3,000 by pretending to sell 12 bottles of Macallan on Carousell.

He pleaded guilty to his charges and was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Dec. 10

Theft

According to Shin Min Daily News, the man, Shi Shengsen (transliteration), worked as a waiter at Cé La Vi between October and November in 2023.

Soon after starting in his position, he came up with the idea of stealing liquor from the bar to resell it online.

Investigations revealed the man acted on his idea on four occasions and made off with S$25,454 worth of liquor.

This included 74 bottles of Dom Pérignon, six bottles of Krug Grande Cuvee, six bottles of Cristal Brut 2014 Champagne, one bottle of Cristal Rose 2013 Champagne and one bottle of Hibiki 21.

The Hibiki 21 alone was worth S$1,688.

Following his arrest, police were able to recover 68 bottles of Dom Pérignon.

The rest of the bottles of liquor were nowhere to be found, and Shi has yet to make compensation.

Scam

Shi also ran a Carousell business selling alcohol, Shin Min reported.

On Nov. 26, 2023, he agreed to sell 12 bottles of Macallan 25 to a 59-year-old buyer.

He induced the buyer to pay a S$3,000 deposit and asked the victim to transfer the money to a bank account, claiming that it belonged to the "supplier".

In actual fact, the bank account was Shi's.

To keep up the ruse, Shi changed the name of the account from his own name to that of the "supplier".

He then pocketed the money once the transfer was made and did not deliver the 12 bottles of liquor.

He has since compensated the buyer with S$1,450.

15 months' jail

Shee was charged with one count of embezzlement and one count of cheating.

He pleaded guilty to both and was sentenced to 15 months in prison.

Top image via Cé La Vi / Facebook, Canva