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Lithuanian who cheated local retailers of over $17,000 jailed 3 years

(PHOTO: Getty Images)
(PHOTO: Getty Images)

A Lithuanian man who cheated local retailers of over $17,000 in a series of credit card scams last September was jailed for three years on Thursday (24 May).

Simovicius Robertas, 24, who was working for a Lithuanian syndicate, pleaded guilty in the State Courts to seven charges of cheating. Thirteen other similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Charis Low told the court that Robertas had bought thousands of dollars worth of merchandise – including perfumes, mobile phones, and jewellery – within a week of arriving in Singapore on 7 September last year.

Robertas had used three fraudulently obtained credit cards – which legally belonged to individuals based in Japan, Brazil and the US – to make the purchases.

Police officers from the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) arrested Robertas outside his rented Purvis Street service apartment at 7pm on 15 September, hours after a jewellery store manager had made a police report.

Online shopping spree

While in Singapore, Robertas used the details from the fraudulently obtained credit cards to make a series of online purchases.

Court documents showed that these included buying an “18K Rose Gold” ring worth about $2,000, perfumes valued at $3,208, and two Samsung Note 8 mobile phones from Harvey Norman that cost nearly $2,800 in total.

Robertas also bought at least $3,000 worth of merchandise through the HonestBee website from retailers such as NTUC FairPrice, The Liquor Shop and Pet Lovers Centre.

Only $548 worth of items from a grocery store were recovered by the police when they raided his rental apartment at The Post on 6 Purvis Street.

Offer too good to refuse

Robertas was in Lithuania when he came across an online job advertisement sometime in May last year that promised a free trip to Singapore with accommodation and food paid for.

All the Lithuanian had to do was order and collect goods under his name in Singapore. Robertas was also promised a 10 per cent commission on the total value of the items he collected.

He flew into Singapore from Bali with a Lithuanian accomplice, 30-year-old Vejalis Edvinas, on 7 September last year. The latter was arrested at Changi Airport Terminal 1 while attempting to leave Singapore on 17 September.

For the crimes committed, Low asked for a three-year jail term to be imposed on Robertas.

In mitigation, defence counsel Melvin Loh told the court that his client just wanted to serve his sentence and go home to his family where he is the sole breadwinner.

Robertas could have been jailed up to 10 years, fined, or both, for his offences.