SINGAPORE — Over about three years, a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) captain cheated 16 victims of more than $143,000 after running up significant credit card debt from patronising Thai clubs and KTV lounges.
Many of Benjamin Song Yong Pang’s victims were his subordinates, whom he told he would use the money for “investments” or to pay his mother’s medical bills. Instead, Song, who also served as deputy cluster commander at Supply Base North, used the funds to pay his debts and cover his own expenses.
He also openly vaped in his office at Nee Soon Camp in Transit Road near Sembawang Road and repeatedly committed vaping-related offences there.
On June 23, the 38-year-old, who has since made full restitution to his victims and is no longer an SAF captain, pleaded guilty to five counts of cheating involving five people and nearly $87,000 in total. He also admitted to four vape-related charges, including possession of vaping devices.
Multiple other charges, including those tied to the remaining amount from his cheating offences, will be considered during sentencing. Mitigation and sentencing are scheduled for July.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Daniel Foo told the court that two of the five victims were full-time national servicemen who reported directly to Song. The other three — a first sergeant, a third warrant officer and a captain — were regulars. Court documents did not disclose details of the remaining 11 victims.
How the cheating scheme worked
The prosecution said Song incurred an undisclosed amount of debt between 2011 and 2018 from patronising Thai clubs and KTVs. Although he stopped going to such places around 2019 or 2020, he continued to struggle with debt in the years that followed.
Over 39 occasions between May 23, 2021 and March 5, 2024, he deceived the five victims into giving him nearly $87,000. Each person was cheated of between $10,000 and $27,050.
Court documents said the female third warrant officer lost the largest amount. Song cheated her over 13 occasions between May 23 and September 30, 2021 after telling her he would help her invest. He used similar tactics on most of the other victims.
On June 23, the prosecutor urged the court to sentence him to up to one year and 11 months in jail, saying a stiff sentence was needed to signal that abuses of authority within the armed forces would be met with disapproval.
Vaping offences in camp
In unrelated cases, the court heard that between 2020 and 2023, Song possessed and distributed vaping-related items while he was a captain at Nee Soon Camp.
According to court documents, he enlisted three subordinates — Private/Lance Corporal Kris Leow Zheng Yang, Third Warrant Officer Jenny Koh, and Staff Sergeant Russell Wong Wei Yao — to procure and pass prohibited items to him.
Health Sciences Authority prosecutor Donn Praabu Dennis said one subordinate admitted helping Song because he was a superior officer and she was afraid to refuse. The prosecutor also said Song introduced Koh to vaping, gifted her a vaporiser device, and later distributed pods to her.
Song began vaping around late 2021 or 2022 and openly did so in his office within the camp, normalising the habit among his subordinates.
Court documents stated that between 2022 and 2023, he possessed 10 boxes of three pods each and 15 disposable vaporisers costing $13 each on six occasions. Koh helped him buy some of these items and pass them to him in camp, though she did not make any profit.
The prosecutor also said Song distributed nine pods to Koh in early 2022 while in camp.