Couple plead guilty to cheating people of over S$1.6million in renovation scam

Singapore – On May 6 (Monday), Aszrul Mohd Yusoff pleaded guilty to 18 charges of cheating involving a renovation scam that he and his wife, Husniyati Omar, propagated back in 2016.

Aszrul and Husniyati established a renovation firm called Carpentry Design Works in 2016, with the help of Husniyati’s friend Christina Wong Hoi Khay. A showroom and office were built in Telok Kurau Road and Yishun Industrial Street 1.

Husniyati, who masterminded the whole scheme, posted advertisements in Facebook of the services offered by the company and promised low quotations along with free air-conditioning units.

Carpentry provided concise written agreements to their clients who in turn hired the company for their renovation works. However, Husniyati and her husband never intended to honour the agreement, said the prosecution.

Carpentry only provided hacking works for the projects but proceeded no further. In some cases, subcontractors were hired to complete the assignment, but Carpentry had no plans to pay them for the work.

Some 89 victims, including homeowners and subcontractors, fell for the couple’s scam  losing a total of S$1,796,000.

Husniyati was arrested in April 2017 and was sentenced to seven years and nine months jail, she have been serving time since September 2018. She pleaded guilty to 21 cheating charges and one count of criminal breach of trust. Another 126 charges are still under consideration.

According to a report by CNA, Husniyati continued to cheat victims via another dummy renovation firm called Chanteq Flooring Specialist while she was in jail.

Aszrul who has been charged with 133 counts of cheating has pleaded guilty to 18 counts which involves nearly S$652,000, reported TNP. He has been in jail, serving a six-month sentence for previous offences, since May 2017.

Because both parents are in jail, the four youngest children of Aszrul and Husniyati are now in foster care while the older children are staying with relatives, said Defence lawyer R. Dilip Kumar to District Judge Edgar Foo.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Grace Goh has urged District Judge Foo to extend the sentence of Aszrul to at least five years and nine months due to the lack of restitution on his part.