Pimp in online vice ring scandal involving underage girl, Tang Boon Thiew pleads guilty

The pimp behind the online vice ring scandal involving an underage girl pleaded guilty on Thursday.

Tang Boon Thiew, 39, pleaded guilty to 20 charges. 

These included abetting the men to obtain the sexual services of the girl, who was then 17 years old, procuring a woman for the purposes of prostitution, and knowingly living in part on the earnings of prostitutes. 

82 other charges will be taken into consideration during sentencing. 

The court heard that Tang ran a social escort agency, where some of the women, including the underage girl, provided sexual services to clients. 

The girl began working for Tang in September 2010. 

51 men were charged with having paid sex with her. 

So far, 16 of them have been dealt with. 

The court heard that Tang secured 82 bookings for her. 

The girl was paid between $450 and $850 for her sexual services. 

According to court documents, he was aware that she was 17 years old, and specifically told her not to disclose this to any of her clients. 

He would then take a 50 percent cut from her earnings, which she would transfer to his POSB account after each session. 

In total, Tang received about $21,700 from the girl. 

The case will resume later this afternoon and lawyers are expected to make their submissions.