Singapore Man Heads to Jail for Using Late Brother’s Money to Gamble

A Singapore man was put in charge of managing his late brother s estate. Instead, he used it to gamble and invest, and will now spend time in jail for the theft.

A man police in Singapore arrested for criminal activity waits in handcuffs. An uncle is heading to jail after pilfering his niece s inheritance on gambling activity. (Image: Law Docket)

Tan Siong Choon s brother, Ten Seng Kiam, died a decade ago in a traffic accident. The man became the trustee of his brother s estate after his niece decided that he would be better able to manage the money and assets.

But, things didn t go quite as planned. In 2020, she took her uncle to court after she realized that he siphoned more than S$550,000 (US$395,120). He spent the money gambling and purchasing stocks, but will now pay the price for his actions.

The 62-year-old man is heading to jail for four years, according to the media outlet Today.

A Grave Mistake

Tan worked out a plea deal, admitting to one count of criminal breach of trust. This kept him from receiving a long sentence. But, at 66, when he returns to freedom, picking up the pieces will be just like an additional sentence.

Ten and Tan were quasi-estranged at the time – they hadn t spoken to each other since 2000. There was no contact between Tan and his family until the accident when he suddenly returned.

Discussing the death and Ten s estate, Tan explained to his niece that someone had to be in charge of the assets. He presented two options – they could administer it jointly, or he could manage it all himself. His niece took the ill-fated decision to give Tan control.

Everything started out right. Tan opened a new bank account in the estate s name, from which he drew funds to pay for the funeral and cover other related expenses. However, things changed shortly after.

Only a few months later, he opened a new bank account in his name and began transferring funds into it. Records showed that he withdrew S$150,000 (US$107,835) that he then spent gambling. He also sold his late brother s car, converting the $23,500 (US$16,894) in proceeds into gambling funds.

The misappropriation of money continued for over two years. Where there once was a bank account holding significant monetary assets, there was just S$3,100 (US$2,228) in late 2019.

Uncovering the Theft

Tan s daughter discovered the theft in 2019 and approached her uncle. He admitted to what he had done and, the following year, she filed a police report against him. He never offered to make restitution and never attempted to repay any of the money.

The local prosecutor s office accepted the case and charged Tan. He faced up to seven years in prison, per legal statute, but the prosecutor only requested four to five.

Tan s niece was a 27-year-old housewife when her father died.