Cheaters Sentenced in Casino Scam Across North America

Casino News - July 15th, 2009 - Written by Glen

Crime does pay, as most criminals would undoubtedly say, but only for a short while. A criminal enterprise involving over ten people, spanning across all of North America had been actively cheating casinos out of money, but justice was enacted and the iron fist of the law was brought down upon the perpetrators. Sentences were handed out this week, and the accused have been punished accordingly.

The key players involved were George Michael Lee, Duc Cong Nguyen, Tien Duc Vu, and Hop Nguyen. The four of them, as well as their fellow accused, were responsible for swindling over $2 million dollars from different casinos around the U.S. and Canada. The FBI has been, and still will be, investigating this heinously roguish activity, and many of the alleged criminals still await their hearings.

The group operated through such methods as bribing dealers and supervisors at different tables to perform false shuffles. Under the pretext that everything was legitimate, the group would abscond with thousands of dollars, occasionally breaking the six figure mark at some of the tables. They would even go as far as getting technological, using different devices and methods to keep track of cards.

So far 29 defendants have pled guilty, and more indictments are to come. Those that have already been found guilty have had to pay restitution on top of being imprisoned and supervised upon release.Some of the largest Tribal casinos were hit in the scam, including the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods. As the recession takes its toll upon casinos, damaging revenues, this sort of thievery further inhibits a casinos growth. Thievery on any scale can have a major financial impact on a company, and casinos are no different. With any luck, the criminals will continue to be brought to pay for their crimes, both financially and with their freedom.