Leader of casino cheating scam sentenced

The leader of a card-cheating scam who admitted to unlawfully winning up to $7 million at casinos in the U.S. and Canada, including Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun, was sentenced to 70 months in prison Monday in U.S. District Court in San Diego.

Phuong Quoc Truong, who federal authorities say is the leader of the "Tran Organization," had pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to participate in the affairs of a racketeering enterprise. He was ordered Monday to forfeit $2,791,146 and to pay $5,753,416 in restitution to several casinos. The court also ordered Truong to forfeit various assets, including two houses in the San Diego area, two properties in Vietnam, a 2001 Porsche Carrera, a Rolex presidential watch and a diamond-encrusted pendant.

To date, 37 defendants have pleaded guilty to engaging in a "false shuffle" cheating scheme during blackjack and mini-baccarat games.

In carrying out the scheme, members of the organization bribed the casino employees to perform false shuffles that created "slugs" or groups of unshuffled cards. After tracking the order of cards dealt, the cheating player would signal to the dealer to perform the false shuffle, then members of the group would bet on the known order of the cards when the "slug" appeared on the table.

Former Mohegan Sun dealer Jesus Rodriguez has pleaded guilty to helping the Tran Organization steal more than $100,000. He faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced April 7 in U.S. District Court in New Haven.