Attorney General Bonta Secures Guilty Pleas Against Pair Who Operated Livermore Gambling Scheme

SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the convictions of Eric Nguyen and Khanh “Tina” Tran, who were charged in 2020 in connection with an alleged gambling scheme that resulted in the theft of over $500,000 from the 580 Casino in Livermore, California between 2015 and 2017.

“Breaking the law is never the right way to get ahead,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We will not tolerate criminal activity in our state. Today’s announcement holds accountable Nguyen and Tran and sends a message that cheating in California will not lead to success.”

The pair pleaded guilty to felony grand theft and, as a result of their convictions, they were sentenced to 240 days in jail, two years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $507,600. The husband and wife duo pled guilty to a scheme to cheat at the card game Baccarat while Tran was working as a dealer at the 580 Casino in Livermore. As part of the scheme, Tran would peek at a sequence of cards after shuffling and would convey the sequence to Nguyen before she left the table. Nguyen would then begin to play at that same table and place significant wagers when he recognized the sequence of cards relayed by Tran. The pair were arrested on May 6, 2020 in Harris County, Texas, pursuant to California felony arrest warrants.

Today’s announcement is the result of an investigation conducted by special agents with the California Department of Justice’s Division of Law Enforcement.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting the interests of the people of California and upholding the state’s laws and regulations. In September 2021, Attorney General Bonta announced formal court approval of a $3.5 million-dollar stipulated judgment against Pong Game Studios Corporation for illegal gambling and associated marketing. In August 2021, Attorney General Bonta announced the settlement of a case against Lucky Lady Card Room in San Diego, in response to a 2016 allegation that illegal bookmaking operations were being run out of the cardroom. In November 2021, Attorney General Bonta took action against The Bicycle Hotel & Casino in Bell Gardens, following resolution of a federal investigation that the casino violated the anti-money laundering provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act.