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SINGAPORE – A man who participated in a $ 365,000 heist involving a bogus bitcoin deal was sentenced on Friday (Sept. 11) to three years and four months in jail with 12 baton strokes.
Singaporean Syed Mokhtar Syed Yusope, 39, is the third of four individuals linked to the crime to be dealt with in court this week. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to a robbery charge.
The court heard that he had worked together with Singaporean Jaromel Gee Ming Li, 29, and Mohd Abdul Rahman Mohamad, 39, to rob his victim from Malaysia.
Gee was sentenced Thursday to three years in jail and 12 strokes of the baton after pleading guilty to one count of robbery.
Abdul Rahman’s case is still pending.
But his ex-wife, Yogeshwry Raman, has clashed. She was sentenced to nine weeks in jail Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of dishonestly receiving stolen property and using criminal force against a public servant.
The court heard that some of the money from the robbery was exchanged for other items, such as a Rolex watch worth $ 45,800.
In addition to the watch and other items, Yogeshwry also received $ 5,000 in cash.
The 35-year-old also admitted in court that she spat at a police officer in an unrelated incident in 2017.
Prosecutors said Gee and Abdul Rahman hatched a plan in April 2018 to rob potential buyers without transferring or selling bitcoins to them.
According to court documents, the three men conspired to rob their Malaysian victim $ 365,000 by first tricking him into believing they had bitcoins to sell.
On April 8, 2018, Malaysian Pang Joon Hau came to a branch of Hotel 81 on Middle Road, as he wanted to buy bitcoins from sellers in Singapore. He had $ 365,000 in his possession.
It was not indicated in the court documents whether he had brought the cash from Malaysia.
Gee learned of Mr. Pang’s intention through a contact and alerted Abdul Rahman, telling him to take someone else to commit the robbery.
Deputy Prosecutors Chin Jincheng, Chong Yong and Audrey Choo had previously said: “Abdul Rahman contacted Mokhtar and told him of the plan … Mokhtar’s role was to accompany Abdul Rahman to commit a robbery … and scare them away. the two of them in Mokhtar’s car after the robbery.
“Mokhtar agreed to meet Abdul Rahman at Hotel 81 to carry out the plan.”
The court heard that Abdul Rahman and Mokhtar went to the hotel around 11 pm.
Prosecutors said the couple and a bitcoin broker, Mr. Lee Chee Kwok, went to Mr. Pang’s room and Mokhtar asked the Malaysian where the money was.
Prosecutors told the court: “Pang showed the money to Mokhtar, and Mokhtar proceeded to hit Pang once on the left cheek. Lee tried to intervene, but Mokhtar hit him.”
Abdul Rahman then grabbed a backpack containing the $ 365,000 before leaving the room with Mokhtar, the court heard.
The police were alerted around 11:40 p.m. that same day.
DPPs said Mokhtar received $ 10,000 as a reward, but was arrested at the Woodlands checkpoint the next day.
On Friday, he was released on $ 30,000 bail and will be turned over to state courts on October 29 to begin serving his sentence.
Criminals convicted of committing robbery between 7 pm and 7 am can be jailed for up to 14 years and receive at least 12 strokes of the baton.
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