Police in southwest Calgary, Alberta have detained a group of alleged casino cheaters who allegedly used insiders to defraud a casino of undeserved gains.
According to a news release from the Calgary Police Service (CPS), authorities have accused three women—Yalan Yin, 50, Rosielyn Konno, 57, and Catherine Manipon, 48—and two men—Leonilo Calahi Juan, 51, and Rui Qin Huang, 52—of fraud.
According to the CPS, "two employees of the casino illegitimately issued “unearned winnings” to three patrons who participated in various card games on several occasions between October 31 and November 19."
The casino in question was not identified by Calgary police. Authorities have not stated whether the event took place at the Grey Eagle Resort & Casino, the only significant casino in the southwest region of the city.
According to the description, the most prevalent type of insider cheating at casinos may have involved dealers overpaying wins, paying out on losing hands, or placing extra chips inside the payout stack.
However, the CPS statement's wording raises the possibility that workers with access to payout verification systems staged or falsified winning game outcomes before paying out bonuses to accomplices. The inquiry is still underway, and CPS has not revealed the specifics of how the scheme worked.
Additionally, it hasn't revealed how much was stolen throughout the course of the scam's three-week operation, despite the charge sheet indicating that it was more than $5,000. Since Konno and Manipon are each charged with one count of criminal breach of trust, the charges also suggest that they were the employees who were doing the inside job.
Because they leave a trail, overpayment schemes typically fall apart quickly. During routine audits, payouts don't match surveillance footage, the same players accumulate unlikely wins, and the table's numbers cease to make statistical sense.
It was the same with this one. On November 19, police were summoned to the casino following reports of fraud and theft. At the scene, all five suspects were taken into custody.
“Addressing financial crime requires a united approach across different agencies,” said CPS spokesman Inspector Scott Neilson in a statement.
“The Calgary Police Service works closely with regulatory bodies and industry partners to ensure gaming industry standards are followed, and those who attempt to exploit them are held accountable. We thank our investigators and partners for their diligent work in helping us advance this investigation.”
