Funeral service worker embezzled $70k to repay gambling debts
Fu Fei Shen pocketed payments from bereaved customers on nine occasions.
An assistant at a funeral service provider, struggling with a gambling addiction, embezzled over $70,000 to repay her debts to loan sharks.
From Sept 22 to Nov 2, 2021, 50-year-old Fu Fei Shen (transliterated) pocketed a total of $73,961 from her employer Nguan Gratitude Services, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
Court documents revealed that Fu's duties included arranging funeral services and collecting payment from customers. Instead, she pocketed the money on nine occasions.
After Fu was confronted, she agreed to make restitution to the company.
On July 16, Fu was jailed for eight months and two weeks after pleading guilty to criminal breach of trust.
The prosecution sought at least nine months' jail for Fu, but noted that even though she consciously committed the crimes on multiple occasions, she had made restitution of $23,850.
Fu's lawyer pleaded for leniency, saying she was a First Sergeant in the Singapore Armed Forces but resigned after she went bankrupt.
After becoming addicted to gambling, she was harassed by 10 loan sharks.
The lawyer argued that Fu was concerned about the safety of her family and used the embezzled funds to repay debts.