A 36 year old man from California man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for an online scam that cost a Chamberlain resident $472,000.
Chee Yeng Wong pleaded guilty Tuesday in Brule County Circuit Court to one count of Aiding, Abetting, or Advising Grand Theft. He then was sentenced to the prison term, fined $1,000 and ordered to pay restitution of $472,000.
”South Dakotans do not deserve to be defrauded out of their hard-earned money,” said Attorney General Jackley. “We will aggressively prosecute these crimes and hold accountable those who commit them.”
The incident occurred between January and March of this year. The defendant’s address is listed as Pasadena, CA, but he is from Malaysia.
South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation, Chamberlain Police Department, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigated the case. It was prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office and the Brule County State’s Attorney’s Office.