Filipina DH linked to $2.8M love scam jailed 5 months

 

The Filipina pleaded guilty to money laundering at Eastern Court

A Filipina domestic helper saw her future job prospects in Hong Kong dashed as she was sentenced to five months in jail today, Nov. 9, after pleading guilty to money laundering before Eastern Court Principal Magistrate Ivy Chui.

Nancy Lontok Llave, 49 years old, was out on bail and was alone in court when she pleaded guilty to one charge of "dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence," or more commonly known as money laundering.

She sobbed as she was led away from the dock to start serving her sentence.

PINDUTIN DITO!

The court heard that Llave’s account with Bank of China was among eight bank accounts used to launder a total of $2,816,089 that was taken from a local woman named May Wong in a love scam.

According to the prosecution, Wong fell for someone who befriended and wooed her on Instagram starting on Nov. 13, 2022, after which they became cyber lovers. The scammer had introduced himself as a construction worker in Malaysia.

On Dec. 10, 2022 the internet lover told the victim that his bank account in Poland had been blocked, and he asked for help in purchasing construction materials. The victim obliged, and made a total of 23 cash transfers to eight bank accounts, including the one owned by Llave, at her lover's request.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

He disappeared after failing to extract more money from the victim.

Llave opened the account on July 26, 2022, using as her mailing address her former employers’ flat at Riviera Gardens in Tsuen Wan. Between then and Feb. 9, 2023 when she closed the account, a total of $166,469.90 had passed through it.

A total of 34 deposits were made to her account, which were withdrawn almost entirely each time. By the time Llave had it closed in February this year, a total of $161,000 had passed through the account.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

Before this, or on Dec. 14 and Dec 14, 2022 and Jan 12, 2023, three withdrawals of $3,000 each were made from the account, for a total of $9,000.

At the time, Llave was earning $4,800 a month as a domestic worker and had no other income or assets that would explain the huge sums being deposited to her account.

After the scam unraveled, Llave was arrested on July 18 this year. In her statement to the police, she said she had opened the account in anticipation of her salary being paid into it, however, her employer opted to pay her in cash.

A friend whom she said was a fellow domestic worker, asked to use her account, saying her own bank account in Poland had been frozen. Although suspicious, Llave said she agreed to the request, as the arrangement was to last only for a short time.

She insisted she made no money from the illicit cash transfers.

In mitigation, Llave’s counsel from the Duty Lawyer Service said the Filipina started working in Hong Kong in 2015 and was the sole provider for her 15-year-old son and her elderly parents. She sent nearly all her salary to her family back in the Philippines.

Although she initially claimed ignorance of the crime, she was said to be “truly remorseful” for  allowing herself to be used in the scam.

Counsel also argued that given that the amount involved in the case was relatively small, a lighter sentence would be more appropriate.

Magistrate Chui said she was taking note of the mitigation, but said that the defendant had committed a serious offence, and that the sentence should reflect this.

However, she said there were no sentencing guidelines for this kind of offence, so she would rely on recent past cases in handing down the penalty.

She cited a 2013 case in which a starting point of 15 months was used in sentencing a defendant in which the amount involved was $290,000. She cited a second case which used a starting point of 10 months’ jail, as it involved the smaller amount of $95,000 but in which the defendant pleaded not guilty.

Based on these, she said the appropriate starting point was 7.5 months, and with the prescribed 2/3 discount for a guilty plea, said Llave should be imprisoned for five months.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

PADALA NA!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

DH blames employment agency for falsified document

A domestic helper charged with lying to Immigration and using a false instrument to do so pleaded not guilty yesterday (Nov. 8) at Shatin Court.

But when the duty lawyer representing Mariza Tarray, 41 years old, explained her reason for pleading not guilty, Acting Principal Magistrate Amy Chan set aside her plea and put it off for Jan. 11 when a pre-trial review will be conducted.

“We will not enter a plea today,” Magistrate Chan said, “let the plea be taken formally during the review.”

PINDUTIN DITO!

Tarray was accused of presenting to Immigration a falsified letter from her employer, which said the correct date of her termination was Feb. 11, 2022, instead of Jan. 26, 2022 as mentioned in the employer’s earlier notice to Immigration. This is in violation of the Immigration Ordinance.

Her submitting that letter also led to a charge of using a false intrument, in violation of the Crimes Ordinance.

With the original date of termination being recognized as correct, another charge was filed against Tarray: Overstaying by Feb. 17, when she was arrested, because she remained in Hong Kong beyond the two-week limit set for her stay in Hong Kong.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

But the duty lawyer assigned to her said Tarray has evidence that she was not the one who prepared the fake letter but the employment agency.

The lawyer said she has eight pages of Whatsapp messages between her and her agent, for which six weeks will be needed to translate, and then certified by the court.

She also has records of having complained to the Philippine Consulate and Immigration about this, the lawyer said.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

Magistrate Chan set the trial for Feb. 6-8.

Tarray was freed on bail of $1,000.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

PADALA NA!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

2 DH, kulong ng tig 2 buwan dahil nagtrabaho bilang waitress

 

Humarap ang 2 Pilipina sa korte sa Shatin

Dalawang Pilipinang domestic helper na nahuling nagtatrabaho bilang waitress sa isang restaurant sa Tung Chung, ang nahatulang makulong ng dalawang buwan matapos silang umamin sa kasong pagtatrabaho nang ilegal sa isang pagdinig kanina sa Shatin Court.

Parehong sinampahan sina Charisse Infante, at Cherry Villavicencio ng tig-isang kasong paglabag sa kondisyon sa kanilang paglalagi sa Hong Kong matapos silang mahuli ng mga tauhan ng Immigration Deparment noong Nov. 5.

PINDUTIN DITO!

Wala rin silang maipakitang pasaporte.

Ayon sa Immigration Ordinance, ang ganitong pagkakasala ay pinarurusahan ng multang aabot sa $50,000 at pagkakulong ng hanggang dalawang taon.

Ayon sa asuntong inilatag ng Immigration Department, si Infante ay nabigyan ng visa bilang domestic helper noong Dec. 22, 2022.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Ang kondisyong nakakabit dito ay ang pagtatrabaho lamang niya bilang domestic helper sa bahay ng kanyang amo.

Ganoon din ang kondisyong ibinigay kay Villavicencio nang bigyan siya ng karapatang manirahan sa Hong Kong nitong Oct. 13 lang.

Hindi nilinaw sa korte kung bakit nakapagtrabaho sila bilang waitress gayong may nakapirmang amo sa kanila.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

Ayon sa kanilang abogado, si Infante ay napilitang magtrabaho ng bawal dahil sa nangailangan ng perang pampaaral sa kanyang mga anak. 

Ang dahilan naman ni Villavicencio ay nagkasakit ang kanyang ina sa Pilipinas at nangailangan ng perang pampagamot.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

PADALA NA!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

127 people arrested in Mainland-HK sweep on illegal immigrants

 

HK Police have stepped up sea patrols to stop illegal entrants from China

After only three days of a joint campaign against illegal immigration, police in Hong Kong and authorities in Guangdong Province recently managed to capture 127 persons on both sides of the border.

The operation, codenamed “Mungoshunt-3”, was mounted from November 4 to 6 and was meant to round up non-ethic Chinese illegal immigrants. It involved raids on target areas on land, as well as the interception of suspicious vessels at sea.

Immigration officers, with help from Hong Kong police, raided 218 target locations and intercepted a total of 60 suspicious vessels and questioned 990 persons across the city. Two of the vessels were eventually seized and 70 persons were arrested.

Among those arrested were three people suspected of aiding and abetting the others to land and remain in Hong Kong illegally. They comprised two illegal immigrants from the Mainland, aged 23 and 28, and one Indian male, 29, who holds a recognizance form.

They were found to have helped 23 male illegal immigrants, aged 22 to 56, to sneak into Hong Kong – two from the Mainland, nine from Bangladesh, seven from Pakistan, three from India and one from Vietnam.

Separately, 36 suspected illegal workers and nine employers were arrested in operations across Hong Kong.

They included five mainlanders, one male and four females aged 38 to 59; and 31 non-ethnic Chinese consisting of six males and 25 females, aged 23 to 50. 

They were arrested for breach of recognizance’s condition, taking up unapproved employment and overstaying in Hong Kong.

The nine suspected employers who were arrested consisted of eight males and a female, aged 36 to 79.

Mainland authorities, meanwhile, arrested 57 persons in Guangdong Province, including seven locals who arranged for 50 non-ethnic Chinese to sneak into Hong Kong illegally.

The would-be illegal immigrants consisted of 35 Bangladeshis, 12 Pakistanis and three Indians.

Immigration warned that arranging the passage to Hong Kong of unauthorized entrants or assisting them to remain in the city illegally are serious offences.  

The so-called arrangers face a maximum fine of $5 million and up to 14 years imprisonment. Those who assist them to remain in Hong Kong could be fined up to $500,000 and jailed for up to 10 years.

On the other hand, illegal immigrants, overstayers or those holding recognizance documents could be jailed for up to three years and fined $50,000 if they take up employment while in Hong Kong.

The penalty is more severe if they use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card, which could lead to the offender being meted the maximum fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years.

 

 

Child abuse case set against drug trafficking defendant

Tsim Sha Tsui Mansion (Google Map photo) 

An asylum seeker facing three charges of drug trafficking is expected to face an additional charge of child abuse after her five-year old daughter, who was in the flat where she was arrested, was found to be positive for drugs.

S. Guia, 37 years old, was returned to jail yesterday (Nov. 8) after appearing at the Kowloon City Court.

PINDUTIN DITO!

The prosecutor said that with tests showing that tissue and blood samples of the child contained traces of drugs, his team would need an adjournment so that the additional charge could be drawn up against Guia.

Magistrate Kestrel Lam agreed and set Jan. 3 for the next hearing.

Tests at the Government Laboratory also showed that the drugs seized from Guia consisted of 366 grams of coccaine and 52 grams of ice (methamphetamine hydrochloride).

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

He also said Guia had no bail application and did not require a bail review.

Guia’s first charge arose after she was recorded selling drugs on July 14 at the 2/F rear staircase of Block C of the Tsim Sha Tsui Mansion on Nathan Road.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

On the same date, she was then observed selling drugs in  Room 1, Flat D4, on the 2^nd floor of Block D of Tsim Sha Tsui Mansion.

She was arrested after she was recorded selling drugs a few minutes later in Room 1, Flat D4, on the 2^nd floor of Block D of Tsim Sha Tsui Mansion.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

PADALA NA!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

Filipina hunted for alleged theft of $690k from remittance shop

The alleged theft happened at Franki's shop in Lik Sang Plaza, Tsuen Wan

A 39-year-old Filipina resident is being sought for allegedly stealing around $690,000 from a Franki Exchange Padala shop in Tsuen Wan which she used to manage.

The Filipina known to acquaintances as Rheb, was last seen at the shop at the close of business hours on November 5, the first Sunday of the month, when many Filipinos customarily send money to their families in the Philippines. This explained why the shop had more money than usual in its safe that day.

PINDUTIN DITO!

Fellow Filipinos at Lik Sang Plaza in Tsuen Wan where the remittance company has a shop on the second floor said Rheb was seen leaving in a hurry that day, and even passed through a backdoor which she rarely used in the past.

The next day, she did not report for work, and after her Pakistani supervisor found that the money that should have been in the shop’s safe was all gone, called the police.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

A police spokesperson told The SUN that the male supervisor became suspicious after seeing that the closed circuit television (CCTV) in the shop was not working. When he went to Tsuen Wan yesterday morning, he found out that the shop was closed and the Filipina staff could not be contacted.

After obtaining a duplicate key to the safe in the shop, the male supervisor found that all the money that should have been there was all gone. He went through the records from the previous day’s transactions and realized that there should have been around $690,000  in the safe.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

The police said the Filipina staff, said to be married to a local Chinese,  is now being sought.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

PADALA NA!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

Bloody assault by Filipino ruled self defense

 

A Filipino resident was acquitted today at Kowloon City Court of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, a charge that arose from an altercation after he was almost hit by a car last April 13.

However, Arnias Gomez, 49 years old, was fined $4,000 after he pleaded guilty to criminal damage for kicking the rear of the car while it was parking at Ma Tau Kok Road in To Kwa Wan, Kowloon.

He will also have to pay the victim, Cheung Sek-keung, $5,000 to repair the dents he caused.

PINDUTIN DITO!

Deputy Magistrate Yvonne Chan gave weight to the CCTV footage showing Cheung, whose mouth was bloodied by a punch by Gomez, started the fight by grabbing the Filipino’s arm.

She said both Cheung and his wife, who both testified, admitted during cross examination by the defense lawyer that they were angry at Gomez for kicking their car and were shouting at him.

Magistrate Chan asked both Cheung and his wife what language they were using while shouting at Gomez, who was assisted by a Filipino interpreter during the hearing. Both said they spoke Cantonese to the Filipino.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

She agreed with Gomez’s lawyer that the testimonies of the couple contradicted each other on several points, with the husband having to correct himself after his narration clashed with what could be seen on CCTV.

“Their testimonies were self-serving,” concluded the lawyer provided free to Gomez by the court under the Duty Lawyer Service.

Magistrate Chan also noted that the CCTV showed that Cheung tried to kick Gomez but missed. He also threw a punch and missed, before he was kicked in the stomach by Gomez and fell.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

Gomez followed up with a punch in the mouth after Cheung rose and continued to go after him.

Gomez was retreating the whole time, and was being pursued by the couple, she noted.

Cheung’s wife was also seen on the CCTV swinging her hand while holding a mobile phone in an apparent attempt to hit Gomez, which she denied doing. Magistrate Chan noted that Gomez did not retaliate and continued retreating.

The prosecutor had earlier pointed out that the issue at hand was whether or not Gomez’s action that hurt Cheung was proportional to the threat he was facing.

But in her ruling, Chan said the Cheungs were the aggressors, and Gomez was trying to ward them off. “I find that defendant hit (Cheung) in self-defense,” she added. 

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

PADALA NA!

PRESS FOR DETAILS

2 young Filipinas charged with assaulting Pinay teen

 

Some of those who attended the hearing gathered outside Kwun Tong court afterwards

Two young Filipinas appeared in Kwun Tong court earlier today, to each face a charge of assaulting a Filipina teen in the carpark of a housing estate in February this year.

The cases against Hannah R. Gacad, 18 years old, and Laura P del Rosario, 20, were consolidated, and were set down for hearing again on Jan 2, 2024. Until then, their bail of $1,000 each was extended.

PINDUTIN DITO!

They both face a charge of assaulting Nashia Grace Respicio on February 6, 2023, inside the parking lot of Tsui Ping South Estate in Kwun Tong, causing her actual bodily harm.

Earlier reports said the two were arrested separately two days after the alleged incident. Both went to court accompanied by friends and family members.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Respicio, said to be 17 years old, went to the police and reported being attacked by several girls in the parking lot of the public estate. She reportedly suffered bruises on her face, waist and upper arm, and sought treatment at United Christian Hospital by herself.

Following her complaint, the police arrested Gacad in her home in Yau Ma Tei and Del Rosario in Kowloon City. They were released on bail after an investigation.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

In court, Gacad’s counsel said they were ready to enter a plea, but agreed to reserve it for later after the two cases were joined and the second defendant asked for more time to study the case.

Assistant Principal Magistrate Daniel Tang extended the defendants’ bail and warned them not to approach or interfere with prosecution witnesses.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

PADALA NA!

PRESS FOR DETAILS