Teen conspired with ‘John Wick’ to launder money for Malaysian syndicate

SINGAPORE – A teen who helped launder money for a Malaysian syndicate on the instructions of a person with the nickname “John Wick” has been sentenced to reformative training for at least a year.

The 19-year-old cannot be named as he had committed some of the offences before he turned 18.

On Oct 14, he pleaded guilty to three charges – conspiring to access a computer to commit theft, transferring benefits from crime, and being in the company of a person with a karambit knife.

Six similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

On April 3, 2025, the teen met with a friend who told him about a “John Wick” on Telegram.

Unlike the John Wick played by Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves in a series of movies about the titular fictional assassin, this one was looking for runners to help a Malaysian syndicate launder money.

The runners were to withdraw cash from automated teller machines (ATMs) in Singapore using compromised account credentials.

“John Wick” promised commissions of up to $2,000 for every $100,000 withdrawn.

The teen and his friend withdrew a total of $19,000 from six ATMs located in Bedok North Street, New Bridge Road and People’s Park Complex on April 3 and 4, 2025.

Acting on the instructions of an unknown Malaysian operative, they later handed the cash to an unknown person they referred to as the “money changer”.

“John Wick” then paid the friend $750, of which $250 was handed to the teen.

Separately, on Aug 19, 2025, the teen and the same friend were among a group of youth who confronted another group at a Tampines carpark in a dispute over a girl.

Holding a karambit knife, the friend made a youth from the other group kneel and apologise while pulling his ears, and also punched the victim on the shoulder.

When the groups subsequently left the carpark, the knife was discarded in the vicinity.

The police were later called about a case of fighting and arrested the teen and his friends and seized the knife.

Court documents also said the teen was found with a knuckleduster and arrested on another occasion in June 2024.

Highlighting the seriousness of his offences, the prosecution told the court probation was unsuitable for the teen, as he had been arrested at least three times from June 2024 to January 2026.

The teen is currently out on bail and is expected to begin serving his sentence on Oct 26.

For helping the syndicate launder money from crime, he could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined $500,000.

David Sun is The Straits Times’ crime correspondent. He has a background in criminology and is a licensed private investigator.