Chinese gamblers stay in jail on cheating charge

Rachael Levy

Thursday, Sept. 12, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Two Hong Kong high-rollers accused of being part of a ring to cheat casinos out of about $700,000 will remain jailed despite having moved their families here and prepaying apartments for six months.

Chi Pang Lee, 41, and Chun "John" Lok, 40, remain in the Clark County Detention Center since their arrests Aug. 16. They will be jailed during trial preparation, which is expected to stretch into next year.

U.S. Magistrate Roger Hunt said he was unwilling to risk releasing Lee and Lok -- worth about $1.5 million and $1 million respectively. Both men offered to turn over their passports and those of their wives and children, and post $250,000 bail.

"They obviously have been willing to gamble in amounts in excess of that and lost in amounts in excess of that," Hunt said during Wednesday's hour-long hearing.

Attorneys for Lee and Lok have indicated they will appeal the decision.

Lee, Lok, three former dealers and seven other gamblers were indicted in April on charges that they cheated the MGM Grand, Desert Inn and Las Vegas Hilton hotel-casinos at mini-baccarat in 1995.

The scheme involved false card shuffling that allowed the gamblers to correctly predict the value of the cards before they were played and thus adjust their bets.

The 42-count indictment was sealed until August when Lee, Lok and co-defendant Han Yuen Yung traveled from Hong Kong to Las Vegas on vacation. Yung is a fugitive.

The case is part of law enforcement's effort to crack down on the Asian organized crime presence in Las Vegas, officials said. The Asian mob's role is mainly outside efforts to cheat rather than insider skimming.

Although the government does not tie the defendants to a crime family, prosecutor Eric Johnson is a member of the Nevada U.S. Attorney's Organized Crime Strike Force.

Johnson successfully argued against freeing Lok and Lee, pointing out that much of the financial information provided by the defendants to prove their net worth was one and two years old.

Lee and Lok are involved in real estate in Hong Kong and both own property worth more than $500,000. Among the papers was evidence of Lee losing about $1 million in a bad investment and having a mortgage on his home. There also was a conviction against Lok, but details of the crime were unavailable.

"Once you let them out there is nothing that's going to stop them from going back to Hong Kong," Johnson said. "Let's be realistic. (The families) can't stay here, they don't have the proper visas."

And if passports are surrendered, Johnson argued that "fantastic" false passports can be purchased for $25,000.

Defense attorneys Steve Stein and Louis Palazzo argued that their clients were more likely to remain in the United States than run away.

"The Chinese people, Chinese culture relies heavily on -- the only word I can think of is face," said Stein, attorney for Lee. "He has more incentive to stay, fight these charges and save face ... (re-establishing) himself as an honorable man in his community."

Palazzo said if Lok slipped back to Hong Kong, his business dealings would be adversely affected.

"What tenant would be paying Mr. Lok his rent if he was a fugitive from justice?" Palazzo asked. "It's ludicrous."

In other developments:

Defendant Thanh Sam Su of Los Angeles will be arraigned Friday. The 42-year-old gambler surrendered to authorities last week.

Johnson said the government is a month away from filing the necessary paperwork to extradite two other Hong Kong high-rollers accused of participating in the cheating ring.