SINGAPORE: A senior operations associate with chair company Secretlab SG ran into financial difficulties and cooked up a scheme to misappropriate gaming chairs to sell on Carousell.
The company discovered that its chairs were being sold by a third party without authorisation on the online platform and lodged a police report.
Gabriel Chan Guo Rong, 32, was sentenced to 14 months’ jail on Friday (Nov 17) for his crime.
He pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiring to commit criminal breach of trust as a servant by dishonestly misappropriating 209 gaming chairs worth around S$118,500 (US$87,900).
The court heard that Chan was tasked to arrange for the distribution of Secretlab’s gaming chairs. He knew the delivery schedules of the company and was entrusted with the chairs.
Around December 2018, he faced financial difficulties due to his credit card bills and personal expenses.
He decided to take Secretlab chairs, and conspired with co-accused, 32-year-old Tan Zheng Qiang, to sell them for personal gain.
Between December 2018 and November 2019, Chan would inform Tan about when Tan could take the chairs from the warehouse without being detected.
Tan would list the chairs for sale on Carousell at a discounted price and inform Chan when orders were placed.
Chan would then arrange for Tan to pick up the chairs from the warehouse when no one was around.
When Tan picked up the chairs, he would pay Chan a sum of money of about S$200 a chair. Tan would then deliver the chairs to the customers, who would pay Tan a price they had agreed on.
Chan gained about S$40,000 from his crimes. He spent it on his credit card bills and personal expenses.
A Secretlab operations associate lodged a police report on Oct 8, 2019, stating that the company’s products were being sold by a third party without authorisation.
Secretlab came to a civil settlement with Chan on restitution – whereby Chan would pay the company S$300 a month for 50 months until September 2025 as restitution.
The prosecution sought 14 to 16 months’ jail for Chan, saying the offence was premeditated and involved the knowledge of delivery schedules that he gained because of his role with the company.
However, the prosecutor noted Chan’s guilty plea and restitution.
Tan’s case is pending.
CNA has contacted Secretlab for their response to the case.