$4M Livermore 'Gambling Scheme': Husband-Wife Duo Charged

LIVERMORE, CA — State prosecutors have charged a husband-wife duo with stealing about $4 million from the Parkwest 580 Casino in Livermore.

Khan "Tina" Tran, 33, was a dealer at the casino, while husband Eric Nguyen, 38, was a professional gambler and former employee of the casino, the state announced Monday. She would text or tell him about card numbers and positions to cheat at EZ Baccarat Panda 8, and he would place hefty wagers based on her tips, prosecutors alleged in a complaint filed in March.

The thefts occurred from 2015 to 2017, prosecutors said.

Around April 2016, an employee expressed concern about Nguyen's winning statistics and gambling habits. The casino opened a theft investigation and reported the theft to the California Department of Justice Bureau of Gambling Control two months later, prosecutors said.

The duo was arrested on California felony warrants in Harris County, Texas May 6.

Now, they're facing charges of felony grand theft and conspiracy to commit grand theft, plus an enhancement — which is tacked onto a charge to enhance a punishment — related to a theft greater than $500,000.

Read the state's complaint here.

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