Thirteen charged in casino cheating scam

John Curran

Monday, July 10, 2000 | 3:35 a.m.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Thirteen people have been charged in a casino cheating scam that relied on the complicity of a dealer, authorities said Monday.

State Police found out about the cheating plan in advance and arrested all 13 on Thursday as they carried it out at the Claridge Casino Hotel, according to Katherine Lyons, a spokeswoman for the state Division of Gaming Enforcement.

In addition to the dealer, five of the other suspects work in casinos.

The suspects, all but two of whom are Vietnamese, sent two "recorders" - gamblers - into a Mini-Baccarat pit to place small bets and keep track of the cards dealt, Lyons said.

The two, Kevin Dung Ly, 32, of Somers Point, and Dong Minh Pham, 34, of Atlantic City, quit when the time came for dealer Tam Nhut Ho, 29, of Brigantine to shuffle the cards.

But Ho allegedly faked shuffling, leaving the deck intact. Nine of his alleged co-conspirators then began playing, using their knowledge of the cards already dealt to figure out which ones were likely to be dealt next, Lyons said.

Then they bet up to $3,000 per hand, winning more than $100,000, Lyons said.

State Police assigned to the state Division of Enforcement focused on the suspects because some had been the target of cheating investigations before, Lyons said.

"This was a pretty elaborate scam. Unfortunately, there are dealers who want to try to work with people and make a quick buck. Hopefully, we can weed them out by catching them before they do it, like we did in this case," Lyons said.

The alleged mastermind was Ky Van Pham, 47, of Brigantine.

The casino employees involved were: Hung Ham Tran, 39, of Northfield, and Pete J. Hoag, 20, of Brigantine, both valets at Trump Taj Mahal; Hung Vu Do, 28, of Atlantic City, a valet at Resorts Atlantic City; Tuan Kiet Le On, 34, of Vienna, Va., a Bally's Park Place food server; and Quan M. Hguyen, 21, of Northfield, a Tropicana Casino Resort dealer.

All 13 were charged with theft by deception and conspiracy. Each crime carries penalties of up to 10 years in prison.