Couple court in Thailand sent to jail for defrauding the public.
The Bangkok Post reports that a scheming couple – who cheated 20,000 people in a seafood buffet scam – have been given such a harsh sentence that at first look, they may only see the outside in the year 3466.
According to the charges, Apichart (Jome) Paronjullaka and Prapassorn Bovornbancha, co-owners of Laemgate seafood restaurant, launched an online sales promotion, offering customers unusually cheap prices for seafood buffets at the restaurant.
Up to 20,000 people purchased GBP 1.2 million worth of vouchers But the company later said it could not keep up with demand and shut down the restaurant.
Hundreds later filed complaints against the company and its co-owners for fraud.
Apichart Bowornbancharak and Prapassorn Bowornbancha were arrested on charges including defrauding the public through false messages.
A court sentenced Mr Apichart and Ms Prapassorn to 1,446 years each in jail. They pleaded guilty and their sentences were cut by half to 723 years each. They will in fact only be serving a maximum of 20 years.
The BBC reported that it is not uncommon for those found guilty of fraud in Thailand to be sentenced to such long terms, owing to the number of complaints received. For example, In 2017, a Thai court sentenced a fraudster to more than 13,275 years in prison.
