{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox criminal organization | name = Tran Organization | founded = {{sda|2002|08}} | founded_by = Van Thu Tran, Phuong Quoc "Pai Gao John" Truong, Tai Khiem Tran | founding_location = San Diego, California, United States | years_active = 2002–2012 | territory = United States, Canada | criminal_activities = Casino cheating, racketeering, money laundering | notable_members = Van Thu Tran, Phuong Quoc Truong, Tai Khiem Tran }}
The '''Tran Organization''' was a criminal syndicate of casino cheats in the 2000s. The group targeted at least 28 casinos across the United States and one in Canada. The casinos lost around $7,000,000 to the organization. {{As of|2011}}, 47 people were indicted, of which 42 had already pleaded guilty in relation to the conspiracy.<ref name="doj-20110114">{{cite press release | url = https://www.fbi.gov/sandiego/press-releases/2011/sd011411.htm |title=Co-Founder of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy Targeting Casinos Across the United States |date=2011-01-14 |accessdate=2014-08-08 |publisher=United States Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs |location=Washington, D.C. }}</ref>
==History== ===Gambling scheme=== The criminal enterprise began around August 2002 in San Diego, California, and included Van Thu Tran, her husband Phuong Quoc "Pai Gao John" Truong, and Tai Khiem Tran, with several other Tran family members also involved.<ref name="abc-oceans">{{cite news |last=McNiff |first=Eamon |date=2012-05-25 |title=Real-Life 'Ocean's 11': How Agents Foiled a $7 Million Casino Scheme |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/real-life-oceans-11-agents-foiled-million-casino/story?id=16425553&singlePage=true |accessdate=2014-08-08 |publisher=ABC News Internet Ventures}}</ref><ref name="fbi-houseofcards">{{cite press release |title=House of Cards: Casino Cheating Ring Dismantled |date=2011-02-11 |publisher=Federal Bureau of Investigation |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/february/cards_021111/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515052346/http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/february/cards_021111/ |archive-date=May 15, 2012 |accessdate=2014-08-08}}</ref>
The organizers had themselves been card dealers.<ref name="abcnews-oceans11">{{cite news | url = https://abcnews.go.com/Business/real-life-oceans-11-agents-foiled-million-casino/story?id=16425553&singlePage=true | title = Real-Life 'Ocean's 11': How Agents Foiled a $7 Million Casino Scheme | date = May 25, 2012 | first = Eamon | last = McNiff | publisher = ABC News Internet Ventures | accessdate = 2014-08-08 }}</ref> They bribed card dealers and casino supervisors to do false shuffles to create "slugs" of cards with already-seen sequences.<ref name="doj-20110114"/> The system worked especially well with mini-baccarat, in which players are allowed to track cards openly. They later expanded to blackjack, in which the betting limits are higher but card counting is forbidden at most casinos; the group hid wireless microphones and earpieces on themselves to communicate with conspirators using computer programs to predict which cards would re-appear.<ref name="doj-20110114"/><ref name="abcnews-oceans11"/>
Casinos often did not realize they were being cheated until after the gang had already left town.<ref name="abcnews-oceans11"/> Some casinos, suspecting they were being cheated in an unknown way, called on government authorities.<ref name="fbi-houseofcards"/>
===Investigation and arrests=== The FBI opened a case file in 2004.<ref name="fbi-houseofcards"/> After Phuong Truong started shortchanging the colluding dealers out of their portion of the illegal money, some dealers became informants for the FBI.<ref name="abcnews-oceans11"/> In June 2006, Mississippi Gaming Commission agents posed as corrupt dealers and secretly videotaped a meeting with Truong, in which he bragged openly about the scheme and its success.<ref name="abcnews-oceans11"/>
The conspirators were rounded up in 2007.<ref name="doj-20110114"/> By 2007, Truong and 46 confederates were indicted for racketeering, theft and money laundering. Truong pleaded guilty and received 70 months (5 years and 10 months) in prison.<ref name="ABC;FOILED">{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/real-life-oceans-11-agents-foiled-million-casino/story?id=16425553 |title=Real-Life 'Ocean's 11': How Agents Foiled a $7 Million Casino Scheme |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=May 25, 2012 |website= |publisher=ABC News |access-date=March 5, 2018 |quote=}}</ref>
Tai Khiem Tran pleaded guilty to conspiracy and racketeering in 2009, but Van Thu Tran pleaded not guilty to those charges.<ref name="SDIEGO;GUILTY">{{cite web |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-busted-card-cheating-ring-found-success-simplicity-2009aug30-htmlstory.html |title=Busted card-cheating ring found success in simplicity |author=<!--Not stated-->John Wilkens |date=August 30, 2009 |website= |publisher=San Diego Tribune |access-date= |quote=}}</ref> Van Thu Tran instead pleaded guilty in January 2011, and was ordered to pay $5.7 million in restitution<ref name="SUN;GUILTY">{{cite web |url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2012/sep/28/woman-involved-casino-cheating-ring-sentenced-thre/ |title= Woman involved in casino cheating ring sentenced to three years in prison|author=<!--Not stated-->Steve Green |date=September 28, 2012 |website= |publisher=Las Vegas Sun |access-date=March 5, 2018 |quote=}}</ref> payable to several casinos. On September 28, 2012, Van Thu Tran was sentenced in San Diego to 36 months in prison for her role in the scheme, with three years of supervised release. At that point, 42 defendants had pleaded guilty to charges relating to the cheating conspiracy, admitting overall to targeting a combined total of 29 US and Canada casinos.<ref name="JUST;TRAN">{{cite web |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/co-founder-casino-cheating-criminal-enterprise-sentenced-36-months-prison-targeting-casinos |title=Co-Founder of Casino-Cheating Criminal Enterprise Sentenced to 36 Months in Prison for Targeting Casinos Across the United States |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 28, 2012 |website= |publisher=US DOJ |access-date=March 5, 2018 |quote=}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{cite web | url = http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000063234 | title = Truong Under Surveillance | type = video | publisher = CNBC LLC }} — surveillance video of Phuong Truong meeting on June 8, 2006
Category:2000s crimes in Canada Category:Cheating in gambling Category:Criminal conspiracy Category:Gamblers Category:Vietnamese gangs Category:Asian-American gangs Category:Gangs in San Diego Category:2000s crimes in the United States