Washington State Man Heading to Prison for Attempted Casino Theft, Bank Holdup

Posted on: July 22, 2021, 08:07h. 

Last updated on: July 22, 2021, 01:55h.

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

A California man was sentenced this week to 33 months in prison for allegedly trying to steal money from Washington State’s ilani Casino at knifepoint and robbing a local bank.

He plead guilty to second-degree assault and first-degree attempted theft
Washington State’s ilani Casino, pictured above. The gaming property was the site of attempted theft. A defendant was sentenced for the crime. (Image: The Chronicle)

Viet Tan Nguyen, 35, was sentenced Tuesday for both crimes. He pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery for the May 17 Chase Bank heist, according to The Columbian, a newspaper in Washington State.

He was able to steal $1,400 from the bank. During the incident, Nguyen told a teller to “Give me your money.” He also passed her a handwritten note that threatened, “Any disruption will result in many death [sic] because of your defiance,” The Columbian reported, based on a court document.

Nguyen pled guilty to second-degree assault and first-degree attempted theft in the May gaming property incident.

Using surveillance video from the bank, Cowlitz Tribal Police Department officers said they were able to identify Nguyen as the suspect who tried in May to steal black boxes that contained currency from the casino. He brandished a knife in the attempted theft, authorities claim.

Clark County Superior Court Judge Nancy Retsinas allowed Nguyen to serve the sentences concurrently. That will reduce the total number of years in his incarceration.

Earlier Crime at ilani

In April a man allegedly stole $12,500 worth of chips from the same casino. Lucas Bunn, 25, of Kelso, Wash. was wearing a gray wig and construction vest when he entered the gaming property.

He allegedly used a drill to break into a chips table in the high-limit area of the casino, the Associated Press reported.

Bunn allegedly tried to run when security officers came up to him. But he was apprehended and security officers found 25 $500 chips, authorities said. Authorities also used a stun gun to stop him so he could be handcuffed, police said.

He was arrested on burglary and theft charges. The case is apparently pending in local court. Before the incident, Bunn was banned from entering the casino.

Washington State Casino Crime

Last year, a 35-year-old Washington man was charged with domestic violence murder in the second degree. That was for the October death of a 33-year-year woman outside Washington State’s Tulalip Resort Casino.

Nomeneta Tauave got into a fight with his girlfriend, Hana Letoi, on Oct. 23. The couple started a screaming match inside the casino, but it continued outside in their silver GMC Yukon in the parking lot.

Security officers say the altercation turned violent, with Tauave allegedly punching and shaking Letoi violently. She fell out of the SUV as he sped off, eyewitnesses stated. Letoi was taken to the hospital, where she died two days later.

Last August, a fatal shooting took place at an Emerald Queen Casino garage in Tacoma, Wash. Puyallup Tribal Police were called after about seven or eight gunshots were heard.

A victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds. The victim was pronounced dead at the crime scene.