Jeff German/Las Vegas Review-Journal
Hiep Cong Van and Thy Minh Phan were living a lie at the expense of a Portland man. The couple spent the last year living like high rollers on the Strip until they were arrested last week.
Hiep Cong Van and Thy Minh Phan swindled a retiree out of $3 million dollars and spent nearly all of it living the fast life as high rollers in Las Vegas. (Photo by Simon Fergusson/Getty Images)
Van, 39, who is married and runs several landscaping companies in Colorado, and Phan, 36, who works as a manicurist at a nail salon in the state of Washington, were arrested on conspiracy, fraud and money laundering charges in a federal indictment. Van described himself as being in a dating relationship with Phan even though he is married.
The indictment alleges the couple swindled a man identified only as “R.W.” out of his retirement savings, roughly $3 million, primarily under the guise of obtaining loans to bail out Van’s struggling landscaping business. R.W. is a former customer of Van’s who retired and moved to Oregon.
Instead of putting the money toward his business, Van and Phan spent roughly $2.5 million gambling in Las Vegas at Bellagio, MGM Grand, Caesars Palace and Aria. Van had told the victim he needed money and contemplated suicide. In addition, he falsely claimed he was going through a divorce and would repay the victim with interest.
Federal prosecutors in Portland have filed forfeiture counts seeking to recover the $3 million.
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http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/pair-charged-swindling-retiree-out-3m-then-living-it-the-strip
