Woman cheated boss of over $3.67 million: He lost life savings, had stroke and now lives in rented home

Lynne Charlotte James cheated her boss in 2,253 instances from 2008 to 2017, and he now lives in a rented home with his wife after depleting his life savings. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Posted on 14 March 2024 | 15,431 views | 58 comments

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
March 13, 2024

A woman swindled her boss of more than $3.67 million after saying she was a bankrupt and needed his help to pay “fees” to the Insolvency and Public Trustee’s Office (IPTO).

Lynne Charlotte James cheated her boss in 2,253 instances from May 2008 to October 2017, and he now lives in a rented home with his wife after depleting his life savings helping her.

The couple had also sold two of their properties to raise money for her.

The 69-year-old man, whose details were redacted from court documents, had taken cash from his wife and borrowed more than $1 million from his niece to raise funds for Lynne.

On March 13, Lynne, 47, who has not made any restitution, was sentenced to 12 years’ jail after pleading guilty to five counts of cheating.

Before handing down the sentence, District Judge Shawn Ho said this was a “heartrending case” and noted the amount the victim had borrowed from his niece.

The judge said the victim had a stroke owing to the stress after being cheated, and also has cancer.

Without revealing details, the judge added that the mental health of the man’s wife suffered and she received psychiatric help. However, she cannot afford to continue treatment.

The couple’s daughter had committed self-harm and cut her forearms, said the judge. He did not elaborate on whether it was due to the case.

In earlier proceedings, the prosecution told the court Lynne had used the ill-gotten gains to settle her personal expenses and repay loans that she had taken from moneylenders.

Around 2006, she worked at a real estate firm, whose details were redacted from court documents, and was the victim’s subordinate.

She was facing bankruptcy in 2008. Court documents did not state if she had indeed declared bankruptcy.

Deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) Edwin Soh and Louis Ngia stated in court documents that Lynne devised a plan to cheat the victim. In 2008, she told the victim she was a bankrupt.

The DPPs said: “She then lied to the victim by stating that the (IPTO) had retained funds in her bankruptcy estate, and that she required the victim to help her pay various fees to IPTO before IPTO would release the funds to her.”

The man believed her and gave her money. She continued asking for more.

Lynne claimed that once the money was paid, IPTO would release the funds in her so-called “bankruptcy estate”, which purportedly included the amount she had paid with his contribution.

She told him she would repay everything she had borrowed from him.

But Lynne claimed she would not be able to do this if IPTO did not release her money.

This convinced the man to continue transferring money to Lynne, in the hope that IPTO would release her “funds”.

To corroborate her lies, Lynne created fictitious e-mails from IPTO and the Ministry of Law, purportedly demanding from her various fees payable to IPTO.

She forwarded these forged e-mails to the victim.

She created more fake e-mails, supposedly sent by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, allegedly asking Lynne to continue paying fees to IPTO.

She told the victim the funds he had contributed would be confiscated if she stopped paying the “fees” to IPTO, and that he would be unable to recover the cash.

The prosecutors said: “The accused warned the victim not to report the matter to the police or IPTO, (claiming) that if IPTO found out that the victim was helping her with her bankruptcy payments, IPTO would confiscate her funds and there would be no return of monies to the victim.”

Lynne was charged in 2021. Court documents did not disclose how her offences came to light.

On March 13, DPP Soh asked the court to sentence Lynne to 12 years and six months’ jail, saying: “The accused’s crimes were extremely heinous and destroyed the lives of the victim and his family members.

“Despite the immense harm caused, she has shown little remorse.”

Defence lawyer Mohamed Baiross, however, said that Lynne is extremely sorry and pleaded for her to be given nine years’ jail.

She is expected to begin serving her sentence on April 16 and her bail was set at $100,000 on March 13.