Court Sentences Prominent High-Society Figure Nhorotm to 132 Years 6 Months for Online Gambling and Money Laundering
A Bangkok court sentenced prominent figure Nhorotm Piriyarangsun to 132 years for operating illegal online gambling websites and laundering approximately 2.73 billion baht through multiple bank accounts between late 2023 and mid-2024.
On May 1, 2025, the Criminal Court on Ratchdamri Road handed down a guilty verdict in case no. 2894/2567 against nine defendants including Nhorotm Piriyarangsun (defendant 4), the son of former parliamentarian Dr. Sangsit Piriyarangsun. The defendants were charged with jointly operating illegal online gambling websites and money laundering. The prosecution alleged that between December 28, 2566, and May 27, 2567, the defendants operated multiple illegal gambling websites accessible to the public of all ages, with integrated payment systems including VPay and HengPay. The organization was structured into specialized groups managing the gambling operations, maintaining deposit accounts, processing payouts, and managing payment systems. The investigation revealed that gambling funds were transferred through multiple bank accounts in a layered money laundering scheme involving automated payment systems, with total transfers across 12 phases amounting to approximately 2.73 billion baht. The defendants' actions constituted both online gambling facilitation and organized money laundering through the systematic movement of funds across multiple banking channels designed to obscure the illegal origins of the money.
