Online Gambling, Marijuana Ring Busted in Oregon

US federal authorities have taken down an online gambling ring operating out of four Oregon counties.  Raids were conducted Wednesday morning in a number of towns including the state’s largest city of Portland. 

Seven of the eight people charged and arrested made their  first appearances in U.S. District Court in Portland on Wednesday afternoon.  An eighth suspect was arrested in California.  All are accused of running the illegal gambling operation, laundering money and distribution of marijuana across state lines.

Those named in the indictment are Kiet Anh Vo, Vinh Tuong Nguyen, Quan Anh Ho, Tan Quoc Tran, Duy Huynh, Nhat Luu, Hoe Nguyen and Thai Viet Huynh.

From Oregon Live:

Vo is also accused of using the illegal gambling proceeds to run his and Vinh Tuong Nguyen's Lava Café business on Southeast 82nd Avenue in Portland.

Vo and his operatives, agents say, would charge a fee for each bet placed, and the amount would vary based upon the particular gambler and amount of the wager, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Pam Holsinger and Geoffrey A. Barrow wrote in the indictment unsealed Wednesday morning.

The alleged "bookies'' - Ho, Tran, Luu, Hoa Nguyen and both Huynhs, would collect the bets from customers who put money on sporting events and then pay out winnings on a weekly basis, the indictment alleges.

According to Oregon Live, authorities accuse Vo and Vinh Tuong Nguyen of buying marijuana in bulk amounts and shipping it to locations in the South, including Knoxville, Tennessee, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Customers would deposit cash into various bank accounts belonging to Nguyen and other associates and relatives, the indictment says. 

The arrests come just days before the Super Bowl, considered the year's most lucrative sports betting event for legal and illegal sportsbook operations alike.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com