00:00Fifteen members of an online job scam syndicate that targeted victims in the United States
00:05have been fined by the Magistrates' Court in Johor Bahru
00:08after pleading guilty to criminal conspiracy to commit fraud.
00:12They include five Chinese nationals.
00:16In the first courtroom, Magistrate Nurzihan Abdul Rahman
00:20fined nine local men RM3,500 each in default of six months jail.
00:26They were charged under Section 417 of the Penal Code
00:30over an offence at an apartment unit in East Laidang, Iskandar Puteri
00:35at about 5.30pm on September 25.
00:38In a separate courtroom, Magistrate Atifa Hazima Wahab fined six others,
00:44a local man and five Chinese nationals, RM4,200 each, in default of six months jail.
00:51The charge was read to them in Mandarin.
00:54It was for an offence at another apartment unit in the same area
00:58at about 2.40pm on September 25.
01:02The charge was framed under Section 120B, subsection 2 of the Penal Code,
01:08read with Section 417,
01:10which provides for a maximum six-month jail term,
01:14a fine or both upon conviction.
01:16The prosecution called for appropriate sentences as a deterrent.
01:20However, lawyers Gan Qisheng and Chua Xueqian,
01:25who represented all 15 accused,
01:27sought lenient sentences,
01:29citing family responsibilities,
01:31including supporting parents, wives and children.
