Coach jailed 17 months for running off with $100k

He cheated running club members with false tour packages and non-existent watches

Coach Tan Swee Tiong, also known as Lexxus Tan, is the founder of popular running club F1 Runners. He had cheated club members to feed his gambling addiction. He has returned $5,940, but admitted to spending the vast majority of the more than $100,00
Coach Tan Swee Tiong, also known as Lexxus Tan, is the founder of popular running club F1 Runners. He had cheated club members to feed his gambling addiction. He has returned $5,940, but admitted to spending the vast majority of the more than $100,000 he received on gambling. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

A running coach duped nearly 40 people of more than $100,000, selling them false tour packages for overseas marathon trips or non-existent Garmin watches.

Tan Swee Tiong, 48, also known as Lexxus Tan, is the founder of popular running club F1 Runners and had cheated club members to feed his gambling addiction.

Yesterday, he was sentenced to one year and five months' jail after pleading guilty to a charge of cheating.

A similar charge was taken into consideration during sentencing.

The court heard that the scams happened between February 2017 and June 2018.

Tan earned his income from coaching fees that he collected from members when they signed up for memberships, with the fees ranging from $300 to $1,090.

He later hatched a scheme to organise "runcations", which were overseas trips to take part in marathons, such as to Berlin and Osaka, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Stephanie Chew told the court.

"However, the accused did not intend to fulfil any of his promises, and instead used this ruse to deceive various individuals into transferring monies to him, which he then used for gambling," DPP Chew said.

Tan cheated 39 individuals out of a total of $89,616 with his tour offers.

Separately, he also cheated 10 people of a total of $10,950 into buying non-existent Garmin watches.

The prosecutor said Tan has returned $5,940 of the total amount he received.

"The accused admits that he spent the vast majority of the monies he cheated on gambling," DPP Chew said.

She pressed the court to sentence Tan to at least 171/2 months' jail, noting that he had breached the trust placed in him by various individuals.

"He had founded a relatively popular running club and was clearly trusted as a member of the community," said DPP Chew in her submissions.

Defence counsel Choo Si Sen said Tan was remorseful, and is a "changed man" who is trying his best to pay back the monies owed.

However, District Judge Jasbendar Kaur noted that Tan had made up plans to encourage his victims to make payment to him.

He will start serving his sentence on Nov 19.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 23, 2020, with the headline Coach jailed 17 months for running off with $100k. Subscribe