One of the leaders of a multi-state casino cheating operation was sentenced Friday in San Diego to three years in federal prison.
Van Thu Tran, who pleaded guilty in January 2011, also was ordered to pay the casinos more than $5 million in restitution, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego.
Federal prosecutors said Tran and more than 40 other people conspired to cheat casinos in multiple states, including the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, out of millions of dollars.
The conspirators concocted a system of card-counting, signalling and strategic betting to cheat nearly 30 casinos from 2002-07, prosecutors said. They also bribed card dealers and pit bosses to help them cheat.
adam.lynn@ thenewstribune.com
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.