SINGAPORE – A Vietnamese university student stole more than $41,000 worth of items, including laptops and iPads, from Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) and Apple offices earlier in 2023.
Le Viet Hoang, who was on an internship with A*Star as an assistant researcher at the time, was on Dec 28 sentenced to 11 months’ jail.
He was convicted of two charges of theft and another two charges of housebreaking.
The court heard that the 22-year-old wanted to sell the items and use the proceeds to finance his daily expenses and remit money back to his family in Vietnam.
He was caught when he tried to return some of the stolen items to the Apple office, which was in the same building where he worked, and it triggered a security alarm.
Between June and July, Hoang waited at his desk for everyone to leave the office at the end of the workday before taking electronic equipment from the A*Star office in the Innovis Building in Buona Vista.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Vishnu Menon said he learnt how to pick locks to access locked sections of the office that contained more valuable items.
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He stole equipment worth about $29,500 from the A*Star office between June and July.
At around the same time, Hoang broke into the Apple office in the hope of stealing more valuable items.
He waited for a building-wide power shutdown lasting from 9pm on July 15 to 7am on July 16, during which the closed-circuit television cameras in Apple’s office would be switched off and he could move around undetected.
He stole more than $12,000 worth of items from Apple’s office in the early hours of July 16.
As his internship with A*Star neared its end, Hoang felt guilty about stealing the items.
He tried to return four iPads and some charging cables to the Apple office on July 30. His entry triggered an alarm, which alerted a security officer.
The officer called the police and Hoang was found hiding under a table.
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Seeking a year’s jail for Hoang, DPP Vishnu said the accused had abused the trust placed in him as an employee and he had executed his plan after careful planning.
The DPP said: “Over a two-month period, he committed his crimes during the night, when there was little chance of detection.
“He also taught himself how to pick locks for this very purpose, showing a high level of commitment to his criminal enterprise.”
The prosecution acknowledged that Hoang had returned or made restitution for all the items he stole.
For theft, an offender can be jailed for up to seven years and fined.
For housebreaking, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.
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Jail for Vietnamese student who stole items worth over $41k from A*Star, Apple offices
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