(File photo)
The Criminal Court sentenced lawyer 'Tum' to 5 years and 12 months in prison in the 'Je Aoi' case and ordered him to pay 72.5 million baht in damages plus interest.
At 09:00 on 11 Jun 2026 GMT+7 at the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road, the court convened to deliver the verdict in a fraud case involving prosecutors from Special Case Division 1 and Ms. Jatuporn Ubonlert, also known as "Je Aoi," who jointly filed the lawsuit. "Je Aoi" They sued Mr. Sittha Bieabangkerd, known as “Lawyer Tum” as defendant 1; Mrs. Panita Bieabangkerd, Lawyer Tum’s wife, as defendant 2; and Ms. Pintira or Dao, the wife’s older sister, as defendant 3. The charges included fraud, habitual fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to launder money.
The defendants were accused of jointly defrauding Ms. Jatuporn, the victim, by having her transfer large sums multiple times—for example, 71 million baht invested in an online lottery platform, 13 million baht for purchasing a Mercedes-Benz, and 39 million baht paid in Bitcoin to hire Chinese artists. Ms. Jatuporn alleged that Sittha deceived her, while Sittha claimed the money was given out of affection.
In this case, "Mr. Sittha" acted as his own lawyer and personally cross-examined the prosecution witnesses during the trial.
The case was split into three groups: the group of Lawyer Tum, his wife, and her sister; the group of Mr. Nuwat or Nu, a close associate of Lawyer Tum; and Ms. Sarinee or Sa, Nu’s girlfriend.
The last group involved showroom employees, four of whom were connected to the 39 million baht transfer and have all confessed. The court acquitted two showroom employees. Verdicts for Nu and Sa have been issued and are currently under appeal by the prosecutors.
In the civil case, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) decided to seize and freeze three assets linked to Sittha’s offenses: land with buildings and bank account funds totaling about 71 million baht.
However, the civil court dismissed the petition and ordered all seized assets returned to Lawyer Tum and forfeited to the state, ruling that evidence was insufficient to prove habitual fraud or predicate offenses for money laundering. The court ordered the return of all assets to Lawyer Tum.
Additionally, reporters contacted Mr. Somchat Pinijakson, Lawyer Je Aoi’s attorney, who said Je Aoi did not attend the verdict in person as she remains in France, sending only her lawyer to listen to the judgment.
Meanwhile, a reporter spoke with Lawyer Arkom Kongsawat, defense attorney for Lawyer Tum’s wife, who said they came to hear the verdict hoping for a favorable outcome for the defendants. If the verdict is unfavorable, they plan to appeal. He has not yet spoken with his clients but believes everyone remains hopeful.
Later, the Criminal Court read the verdict sentencing Lawyer Tum in the case of defrauding Je Aoi involving investment in an online lottery and a Mercedes-Benz car purchase. He was convicted of fraud with a sentence of 4 years and 6 months plus 1 year and 6 months under the Computer Crimes Act, totaling 5 years and 12 months in prison. He was ordered to compensate damages amounting to 72,567,764 baht plus interest.