[UPDATED with First Four Convictions:] 19 Arraigned for Providing the Loosest Slots in Garden Grove



UPDATE, MAY 25, 5:15 P.M.: Four of the 19 defendants have already been convicted in the case of illegal gambling at Garden Grove cafés. Pleading guilty today to one misdemeanor count of possession of an unlawful gaming
device, one misdemeanor count of possession or control of a slot
machine, and one misdemeanor count of operation and maintenance of a
slot machine each were: Kim Ann Thi Lam, 53, of Garden Grove; Tony Trong Do, 58,
of Yorba Linda; and Ngoc Ai Lu, 37 of Garden Grove. Nina Trinh Dang, 42, of Westminster, pleaded guilty to one
misdemeanor count of possession or control of a slot machine.

They were each sentenced to 18 months of formal probation and ordered
to forfeit and destroy the seized gaming machines and any of the money
inside or that was associated with the machines. See which cafés they owned or managed in the original post on the next page.
]

Also today at the West Justice Center in Westminster, warrants were issued for co-defendants Holly Nguyen, 24, of Garden Grove,
and Vickie Nguyen, 20, of Westminster, who are employees of Café Gossip in Garden Grove. They are charged with one
misdemeanor count each of
possession of an unlawful gaming device and possession or control of a
slot machine.

The other 13 co-defendants–who are charged with one misdemeanor count each of possession of an unlawful gaming device, possession or control of a slot machine, and operation and maintenance of a slot machine–are scheduled to return for the continued arraignment June 2.

ORIGINAL POST, MAY 24, 10:18 A.M.: My colleague Michelle Woo recently posted
on the crackdown in Little Saigon aimed at putting more clothes on
scantily clad waitresses. Another component of the effort was to stop
illegal gambling in Garden Grove cafés.

Today, the fruits of a
three-month, multi-agency law enforcement investigation into illegal
gambling in town are being born with the arraignment of 19 people
charged with illegally possessing and operating gaming machines.

The joint investigation began in December 2010, targeting the owners and staffs at 16 Garden Grove cafés that are alleged to have illegally operated gaming machines. Under California law, the mere possession or control of any slot
machine or gambling machine that takes customer money, credit cards or a token representing cash is prohibited (unless you're on an Indian reservation or other pre-approved location).

When the cafés were busted on March 29, 2011, several owners and staffers had large amounts of cash and “documented or recorded customer winnings,” according to an Orange County District Attorney's office statement that noted the seizure of $140,000 and hundreds of
illegal gambling machines.

Of the 19 people arrested that day, 17 were later charged with one misdemeanor count of
possession of an unlawful gaming device, one misdemeanor count of
possession or control of a slot machine, and one misdemeanor count of
operation and maintenance of a slot machine.

Holly Nguyen, 24, of Garden Grove,
and Vickie Nguyen, 20, of Westminster were charged with one misdemeanor count each of
possession of an unlawful gaming device and possession or control of a
slot machine. They are employees of Café Gossip, 12178 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, where five gaming machines were seized by law enforcement.

Like the other defendants being arraigned today, they face sentences of up to six months in
jail and $1,000 in fines if convicted.
[
The others scheduled to appear at West Justice Center in Westminster are:

Thanh Van Nguyen, 43, of Santa Ana, and Anh Viet Quach, 34, of Westminster, the owner and manager respectively of California Café, 10522 McFadden Ave., Garden Grove, where authorities seized 15 gaming machines;

Mandy Dung Nguyen, 26, of Stanton, who owns Café Xinh Xinh, 10548 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove, where eight gaming machines were seized;

No Thi La, 54, of Garden Grove, who manages Devang 3 Café, 10161 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove, where six gaming machines were seized;

Hien Thanh Thi Nguyen, 41, of Garden Grove, who owns Café Sao, 13576 Harbor Blvd., #B4, Garden Grove, where five gaming machines were seized;

Mai Ngoc Nguyen, 22, and Huong Thanh Pham, 34, residents of Westminster and managers of Missi Café, 13135 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, where 11 gaming machines were seized;
 

Uyen Tran, 38, of Orange, who owns GZ Café, 10130 Garden Grove Blvd., #127, Garden Grove, where five gaming machines were seized;

Kim Ahn Thi Lam, 53, of Garden Grove, who manages Café Taonhan, 10691 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove, where eight gaming machines were seized;

Tony Trong Do, 58, of Yorba Linda, who owns Miss Saigon Café, 10947 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove, where four gaming machines were seized;

Phuong Thi Truc Nguyen, 38, of Westminster, who manages Skyy Café, 14331 Euclid St., #107, Garden Grove, where seven gaming machines were seized;

Hanh Hong Le, 36, of Santa Ana, who owns Café Miss Cutie, 13959 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, where 14 gaming machines were seized;

Thach Co Hoang, 28, of Garden Grove, who manages Passions Café, 12321 Westminster Blvd., Garden Grove, where 10 gaming machines were seized;

Nina Trinh Dang, 42, of Westminster, who owns Café Di Vang 2, 14221 Euclid St., Garden Grove, where five gaming machines were seized;

Quy Huu Tran, 61, of Santa Ana, who manages Café Eden Inc., 10900 Westminster Ave., #6, Garden Grove, where four  gaming machines were seized;

Ngoc Ai Lu, 37, of Garden Grove, who manages Starz Café, 14241 Euclid St., #108, Garden Grove, where nine gaming machines were seized;

Thuy Cung Do, 38, of Garden Grove, who owns Café Chichi, 14282 Brookhurst St., Ste. #4, Garden Grove, where five gaming machines were seized.

The
investigation was led by the Garden Grove Police Department with
assistance from: the California Department of Justice Bureau of Gaming
Control; Federal Bureau of Investigation; California Franchise Tax
Board; and police departments from the cities of Buena Park, El Monte,
Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and
Westminster.

Helping to serve and cite the suspects were members of the sheriff's departments and district attorney's offices in Orange and Los Angeles counties, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Orange County Probation
Department.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Rebecca Olivieri of the Special Prosecutions Unit is prosecuting the case.

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