Another Mini-Baccarat Bust!

You would think by now that these Vietnamese casino-cheating gangs would learn to give it a rest, especially after the Tran Organization got busted in that major baccarat scandal involving some two-dozen casinos in the US and Canada last May. Well, you can't teach old dogs new tricks, so yet another Vietnamese group got corralled yesterday in an Iowa casino, this time looking ever so amateurish in their scam. It appears that the dealer (a non-Asian) was actually switching the played cards on the table, making winners out of losing hands for his Asian cohorts. And if that's not rank enough, he was actually paying off their losing hands when not switching the cards, all in plain view of the casino's surveillance cameras! All right, we can assume that casinos in Iowa do not have the most sophisticated surveillance staffs in the world, but come on, gimme a break! This scam is really embarrassing and netted a mere $12,000 before the state's Division of Criminal Investigations broke it up.

My only advice to this latest baccarat clan: Spend some of the time in prison thinking of a better casino scam to do when you get out.

Here's the news article on it:

Dealer, patrons arrested for theft and cheating at Osceola casino
By TOM BARTON
Register Staff Writer

July 13, 2007
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Five people have been arrested following a week-long investigation by the Division of Criminal Investigation into theft and cheating at an Osceola casino.

The arrests came after D.C.I. gaming agents suspected a casino dealer at Terrible's Lakeside Casino in Osceola was working with patrons to cheat the game of Mini Baccarat.

Agents determined 22-year-old Larry Shephard had misplayed hands by switching cards, exposing cards and paying losing hands, paying out more than $12,000 in casino money after reviewing surveillance video.

Shepherd admitted his actions to agents upon questioning. He and four others were subsequently arrested.

Those arrested include:

LARRY SHEPHERD, 22 yrs. old

Charged with: Theft 1 st Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game

AN NGOC VO, 40 yrs. old

Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game

PHUOC THANH HO, 33 yrs. old

Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game

NAM L. DAM, 30 yrs. old

Charged with: Theft 2 nd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game

OANH OANH NGOC NGUYEN, 36 yrs. old

Charged with: Theft 3 rd Degree & 1 Count Cheating at a Gambling Game