Gotta catch 'em all: Nurse gets probation for stealing Pokemon cards worth over $480

SINGAPORE — A nurse stole two boxes of Pokemon cards worth more than $480 that he then sold to repay his debts.

Fong Jia Wei, a 23-year-old Malaysian, was sentenced to one year of probation on May 14 after he pleaded guilty to two theft charges.

As part of his sentence, the Singapore permanent resident must remain indoors from 11pm to 6am every day and perform 40 hours of community service.

His parents were also bonded for $5,000 to ensure his good behaviour.

Defence lawyers Josephus Tan and Cory Wong stated in court documents that Fong graduated from a polytechnic in April 2021, but his diploma was withheld as he owed the school around $7,000 in fees.

He finally received his diploma around April 2022 after paying his school fees with his savings and loans from friends.

The lawyers from Invictus Law Corporation said Fong decided to commit theft so that he could use the proceeds of his crime to repay his friends.

In January 2023, Fong watched videos on social media platform TikTok that showed people earning cash from selling Pokemon cards.

The lawyers told the court that certain rare cards could be sold for between $10 and $50 each.

Some cards could cost even more if they were popular or rare, the court heard.

The lawyers said: "The social media users had boasted that buying Pokemon card boxes/packets in bulk and then re-selling individual rare cards... could be quite a lucrative venture."

Fong then hatched a plan to steal Pokemon cards and sell them to earn cash.

He was in a video game store at Paya Lebar Square shopping mall at around 4.30pm on May 2, 2023, when he stole a box of Pokemon cards worth more than $210.

One of the store's retail assistants lodged a police report about the theft two days later.

Fong struck again on May 9, 2023, when he stole a box of Pokemon cards worth $270 from a convenience store in Commonwealth Avenue.

He sold the cards stolen from the stores online and earned around $1,000.

Fong was arrested at Paya Lebar Square later that day. He was found to be in fraudulent possession of multiple packets of Pokemon cards. The cards that he sold were not recovered.

Fong was charged in court in August 2023.

For each count of theft, an offender can be jailed for up to three years and fined.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.