723 years In Prison For Two Eatery Owners In Thailand For Defrauding With Seafood Buffet

Report By: Nandika Chand | Last Updated June 12, 2020

Two restaurant owners in Thailand have been sentenced to 723 in prison for defrauding people with a $3 seafood buffet promotion. Laemgate restaurant owners sold customers vouchers of a buffet at an extremely low price. Over 15,000 people bought $2.3 million worth of vouchers.

Initially, people were able to take advantage of the meals at the restaurant but there was a long waiting list which had been booked for up to several months. Prosecutors said the restaurant owners were aware that their promotion or offer could not be fulfilled. They argued that it was impossible to sell ‘high-quality food’ as advertised.

Moreover, in the month of March, the restaurant Laemgate Infinite has announced its closure. Prosecutors said the eatery claimed that it couldn’t get hold of enough seafood to meet the demand. Hundreds of thousands of disgruntled customers companied against the restaurant and its owners for fraud. The duo were then arrested on charges of defrauding the public through false messages (promotion). They were found guilty on 723 counts. Initially, the restaurant owners had been sentenced to 1446 years in prison. They have also been fined $84,761 and ordered to refund $117,712 in damages to the victims.

However, the sentence comes as a surprise because Thai law limits jail time for public fraud to only 20-years.