Employee used stolen funds to finance luxurious lifestyle, court hears
A former employee of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong who embezzled millions of dollars from his employer to buy high-end assets has received a jail sentence of six and a half years, according to reports.
Hong Kong's High Court imposed the sentence on the employee, 39, who embezzled HK$26.43 million from the hotel to accumulate luxury cars, designer goods, as well as property investments, The Standard reported.
According to the report, the scheme began in 2017 when the employee, who worked in the hotel's accounting department, deposited 112 fraudulent cheques into nine of his personal bank and credit card accounts.
His scheme allowed him to accumulate assets, including a HK$6-million apartment in LOHAS Park and a HK$1.2-million Porsche Cayenne SUV, the High Court heard.
He also obtained high-end watches and designer bags, according to later police investigations.
The scheme went undetected for four years, and was only discovered when another employee noticed that cheques were being deposited into the defendant's bank account, Dimsum Daily reported.
The former employee defended in court that the money he stole was for his father's cancer treatment, but the discovery of his luxury purchases undermined his defence, according to The Standard's report.
The employee later admitted to nine counts of theft, which led to his verdict of six years and six months, Dimsum Daily reported.
In the sentencing, the judge emphasised the employee's "grave breach of trust," as well as "premeditated pattern of deception" to finance his lifestyle.
It further pointed out that the scheme involved carefully planned transactions instead of impulsive theft.
Approximately HK$1.1 million has been recovered by Four Seasons Hotel through civil proceedings. It will continue to pursue the rest of the stolen funds, according to The Standard.
