California couple arrested for duping $4M from casino

A sneaky couple from California was caught red handed and arrested in Texas on Monday. The Parkwest Casino 580 in Livermore has charged the husband and wife for allegedly conspiring to steal approximately $4 million in a baccarat scheme at the casino. Baccarat scheme or Baccara game is a card game played in casinos between two hands, the ‘player’ and the ‘banker’. The couple have been identified as 38-year-old Eric Dat Nguyen and 32-year-old Khan Tina Tran and were arrested in Texas in May on felony warrants out of California. Each of them face two felony counts of grand theft and eight felony counts of conspiracy to commit grand theft and special allegations of an aggravated white collar crime enhancement in excess of $500,000.

The California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement, “My office stands ready to fight back against those who try to get rich quick by breaking the law. Mr. Nguyen and Ms. Tran now face serious criminal charges for their actions. The California Department of Justice will do its part to tackle criminal activity in our state.” The complaint states that the couple conspired to cheat during 2015 and 2016 at EZ Baccarat with Panda 8 Rules. It has been identified that Tran worked as a card dealer and Nguyen gambled at the casino on North Canyons Parkway in Livermore and in the past Nguyen also worked at the casino.

Prosecutors allege that Tran would peek at the sequence of cards after shuffling and then convey the sequence to Nguyen, who would then place significant wagers when he recognized the sequence of cards relayed by his wife. In this fashion, they helped out each other. The prosecutors mention that casino officials had first identified the scheme of the couple in April 2016 itself, when they became suspicious of Nguyen’s gambling habits and winning statistics. According to the criminal complaint, the prosecutors notified the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control about the crime in June 2016.

A state investigation ultimately resulted in 10 felony counts each, and special allegations, being charged against the couple in a criminal complaint filed in March in Alameda County Superior Court. Nguyen and Tran were taken into custody pursuit to California and an arrest warrant was issued on 6 May in Texas by the Harris County Constable’s Office, Major Offenders Unit, according to prosecutors. For more updates on stories related to casinos around the world, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com stay tuned!

Manthra Koliyer

Manthra Koliyer is a writer at Gutshot Magazine. She has an affinity for seeing the world through people’s eyes. With a bubbly fun personality, you can always catch her chatting with anyone she comes across. Holding an English Literature degree from Wilson College, Mumbai, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism from Asian College of Journalism, this pop culture fanatic is ready to take on the world with a pen, paper, and microphone. She also actively works on her personal blog called namasteyconvict.blogspot.com, where for a moment she lets you into her drama-filled world.