On September 28, 2012, the US Department of Justice announced that Van Thu Tran was sentenced to 36 months in prison for cheating in casinos. The cheating caused numerous casinos to lose millions of dollars.
During her plea agreement, Van Tran admitted that she and several other co-conspirators obtained around $7 million by cheating. According to the FBI, the defendants performed a “false shuffle cheating scheme” at numerous blackjack and mini-baccarat games in the United States and Canada. The defendants bribed card dealers and supervisors to initiate false shuffles during the game which resulted in large groups of unshuffled cards.
The co-defendants would then track the order of the cards and, at the right time, signal the dealer to make a false shuffle. The cards were tracked using hidden transmitters, special software, and more. The scheme caused the defendants to win thousands of dollars during single games, and the FBI reports that several hundred thousand dollars were won in a single game on one occasion.
There are currently 42 defendants charged in the case so far. Van Thru Tran received 36 months in prison and three years of supervised release. She is ordered to pay $5,753,416 in restitution to several different casinos, and the judge ordered forfeiture of numerous assets and bank accounts. The following casinos were affected by the scheme:
Beau Rivage Casino, Mississippi
Casino Rama, Ontario
Foxwoods Resorts Casino, Connecticut
Gold Strike Casino, Mississippi
Horseshoe Casino, Louisiana
Horseshoe Casino and Hotel, Mississippi
Isle of Capri Casino, Louisiana
Majestic Star Casino, Indiana
Mohegan Sun Resort Casino, Connecticut
Palace Station Casino, Las Vegas
Resorts East Chicago Hotel and Casino, Indiana
Sycuan Casino, California
Cache Creek Indian Bing and Casino, California
Emerald Queen Casino, Washington
Imperial Palace Casino, Biloxi
Argosy Casino, Louisiana
Trump 29 Casino, California
Isle of Capri Casino, Bossier City
Agua Caliente Casino, California
Spa Resort Casino, California
Pechanga Resort and Casino, California
L’Auberge du Lac Casino, Louisiana
Nooksack River Casino, Washington
Barona Valley Ranch Casino and Resort, California
Caesars Indiana Hotel and Casino, Indiana
Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, Las Vegas
Harrah’s Casino, Lake Charles
Golden Moon Casino, Mississippi
Viejas Casino, California
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
