Eleven Indicted for Conspiracy to Cheat Twelve Casinos
Across the United States
A federal grand jury
in San Diego has indicted 11 defendants for an alleged
conspiracy to cheat 12 casinos across the country,
Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal
Division Matthew Friedrich and U.S. Attorney for the
Southern District of California Karen P. Hewitt announced
today.
The one-count indictment, handed down in the Southern
District of California on Sept. 9, 2008, and unsealed
on Sept. 11, 2008, charges Bryan Arce; Don Man Duong;
Hogan Ho; Thang Viet Huynh; Outtama Keovongsa; Leap
Kong, a/k/a “Lanida Kong;” Qua Le; Khunsela
Prom, a/k/a “Danny Prom;” James Root; Darrell
Saicocie; and Dan Thich each with one count of conspiracy
to commit several offenses against the United States,
including conspiracy to steal money and other property
from Indian tribal casinos and conspiracy to travel
in interstate and foreign commerce in aid of racketeering.
According to the indictment, from approximately March
2002 through July 2007 the defendants and co-conspirators
allegedly formed and participated in a conspiracy,
defined in the indictment as the “Tran Organization,” to
cheat at gambling in casinos across the United States.
The indictment lists 12 casinos that were allegedly
targeted by members of the conspiracy, including five
casinos that are owned and operated by Indian tribes.
According to the indictment, the defendants and others
executed a “false shuffle” cheating scheme
at some of the listed casinos during blackjack and
mini-baccarat games. The indictment alleges that members
of the criminal organization bribed casino card dealers
and supervisors to perform false shuffles during card
games, thereby creating “slugs” of un-shuffled
cards. According to the indictment, after tracking
the order of cards dealt in a card game, a member of
the organization would signal to the card dealer to
perform a “false shuffle,” and then members
of the group would bet on the known order of cards
when the slug appeared on the table. By doing so, the
indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy repeatedly
won thousands of dollars during card games.
The indictment also alleges that members of the organization
used sophisticated mechanisms for tracking the order
of cards during games, including hidden transmitter
devices and specially created software that would predict
the order in which cards would reappear during baccarat
and blackjack games.
If convicted on the conspiracy charge, defendants
face a maximum five year prison sentence.
A three-count indictment was returned in San Diego
on May 22, 2007, and unsealed on May 24, 2007, charging
Phuong Quoc Truong, a/k/a “Pai Gow” John
and John Truong; Van Thu Tran; Tai Khiem Tran; Anh
Phuong Tran; Phat Ngoc Tran; Martin Lee Aronson, a/k/a “Martin
Smith;” Liem Thanh Lam; George Michael Lee; Tien
Duc Vu; Son Hong Johnson; Barry Wellford; Willy Tran,
a/k/a “Duy;” Ha Thuy Giang, a/k/a “Thuy
Ha Giang;” and Han Truong Nguyen each with one
count of conspiracy to participate in the affairs of
a racketeering enterprise, defined in the indictment
as the Tran Organization; one count of conspiracy to
commit several offenses against the United States,
including conspiracy to steal money and other property
from Indian tribal casinos; and one count of conspiracy
to commit money laundering. That three-count indictment
also charged five separate individuals each with one
count of conspiracy to commit several offenses against
the United States, including conspiracy to steal money
and other property from Indian tribal casinos, and
one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
To date, 17 defendants have pleaded guilty to charges
relating to the casino-cheating conspiracy: Phuong
Quoc Truong; Anh Phuong Tran; Martin Lee Aronson; Liem
Thanh Lam; George Michael Lee; Tien Duc Vu; Son Hong
Johnson; Barry Wellford; Willy Tran; Tuan Mong Le;
Duc Cong Nguyen; Han Truong Nguyen; Roderick Vang Thor;
Sisouvanh Mounlasy; Navin Nith; Renee Cuc Quang; and
Ui Suk Weller.
Han Truong Nguyen was sentenced on May 12, 2008 to
27 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,896,659 in
restitution to designated victims in the case. Nguyen
was also ordered to serve three years of supervised
release. The remaining defendants who pleaded guilty
are awaiting sentencing.
The prosecution of the case is being handled by the
Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Racketeering
Section (OCRS) and prosecuted by OCRS Trial Attorneys
Joseph K. Wheatley and Robert S. Tully. The case is
being investigated by the FBI’s San Diego Field
Office, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-Criminal
Investigation, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department
and the California Department of Justice. The investigation
has received assistance from federal, state, tribal,
and foreign authorities, including: the Ontario Provincial
Police; the National Indian Gaming Commission; the
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District
of Washington; FBI resident agencies in Gulfport, Mississippi,
Tacoma, Washington, and Toledo, Ohio; the Indiana State
Police; the Rumsey Rancheria Tribal Gaming Agency;
the Sycuan Gaming Commission; the Barona Gaming Commission;
the Mississippi Gaming Commission; the Washington State
Gambling Commission; and others.
The Indian Gaming Working Group (IGWG) was established
in February 2003 to combat crimes related to Indian
gambling. The group is spearheaded by the FBI and includes
the Department of Interior’s Office of Inspector
General, the National Indian Gaming Commission, the
IRS’s Tribal Government Section, the Department
of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement
Center, the Department of Justice, and the Bureau of
Indian Affairs’ Office of Law Enforcement Services.
The IGWG works to ensure the honesty and fairness of
Indian gambling activity for visitors and fights organized
crime groups attempting to commit embezzlement and
other scams.
An indictment is merely an allegation. Defendants
are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty
in a court of law.
Anyone with information relating to the investigation
may contact the FBI’s San Diego Field Office
at (858) 565-1255.
