The owners of a restaurant in Thailand were given a prison sentence of 723 years for a seafood buffet scam.
Apichart Bowornbancharak and Prapassorn Bawornban, former owners of Bangkok restaurant Laemgate Infinite, were arrested in September for ripping off customers with a fraudulent social media promotion.
The pair sold dining vouchers for as low as $3, promising buyers access to what was normally an expensive seafood buffet. However, after the promotion ended, the restaurant revoked this offer. Since nearly 350 people had purchased the vouchers, a wave of complaints soon followed.
Prosecutors on the case are arguing that the owners knew they couldn’t provide such high quality food at such low prices, and had planned to scam the public from the start.
The restaurateurs were initially given 1,446 years, which was reduced by half when they confessed. In Thailand, criminals are often given extremely long prison sentences when multiple counts of crimes are involved. However, despite their centuries-long sentence, they will likely serve under 20 years.
In addition to prison time, Bowornbancharak and Bawornba were fined $58,500. They have pleaded guilty and are currently detained.
Image from PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay
