Canadian Casino Elderly Visitor Reports She Was Injured in Violent Robbery

Posted on: May 19, 2022, 02:29h. 

Last updated on: May 19, 2022, 10:56h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A 71-year-old woman from British Columbia, Canada, recently reported a robbery in which a group of thugs knocked her down and stole several hundred dollars. It took place outside near Casino Nanaimo, where she had used the ATM machine.

Casino Nanaimo entrance
Casino Nanaimo entrance, pictured above. A woman had used the ATM in the casino. She was attacked and robbed outside on the sidewalk soon after leaving the venue. (Image: TripAdvisor)

At first, she was hesitant to report the mugging and theft, which took place on March 22 near the gaming venue, located some 68 miles north of Victoria.

But eventually, she contacted local police. The incident was reported recently by the Times Colonist, a local newspaper in Victoria.

The unnamed victim had just left the casino where she used the ATM to withdraw some money. She also used another ATM earlier at a TD bank.

She was walking on Commercial Street at about 5:30 pm. All of a sudden, three or four robbers confronted her. She was pinned by one of them. Then, she was pushed to the sidewalk. Her face was bruised by the impact and her glasses fell off.

One of the robbers reached into her pocket to steal the envelope containing the money. They then ran off.

Casino ATM Possibly Watched

It is possible one of them had seen her make the withdrawal from the casino’s ATM, the report adds.

She did not get a good look at her attackers. They either wore masks or covered their faces by pulling up their shirts, police said.

They also were wearing hoodies and dark-colored clothes, the report adds.

“The victim was embarrassed and left traumatized and bruised by her ordeal,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police Constable Gary O’Brien told the Times Colonist.

She also realizes that she will most likely not be able to recoup her losses, but she would like to hold this group of men accountable for their actions.”

The casino has over 400 slot machines and various table games.

Prior Crime

In December, in an unrelated incident, British Columbia authorities announced they will seize more than $1 million from alleged Richmond casino money launderer Caixuan Qin. It is part of a civil forfeiture agreement.

She was linked to the currency exchange Silver International. Silver was the subject of the biggest money-laundering prosecution in Canada’s history. It collapsed in November 2018.

Her husband, Jain Jun Zhu, was also involved with Silver International. He died in September 2020 after getting shot at the Manzo Itamae Japanese Restaurant in Richmond.

A Vancouver man, Richard Charles Reed, was arrested for his murder. Additional arrests are possible.

Prosecutors alleged that Silver had ties to the drug trade in South America, the fentanyl factories of China’s Guangdong province, and to Middle Eastern criminal gangs with links to terrorist financing.

The company was also allegedly a front for an underground bank. Money deposited in the bank would end up in a Chinese bank account, prosecutors claimed.