Crime & Safety

Niles Man and 34 Others Charged In Huge Gambling/Drug Ring

The 'fairly sophisticated' multi-state operation involved 150 law enforcement officers and a yearlong investigation.

A Niles man was arrested in a wide-ranging federal investigation into a large international gambling and drug ring.

Jimmy D. Ho was charged with interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise. The huge operation spanned several states, including Illinois and Wisconsin.

Law enforcement officers seized more than $1.3 million in cash when they busted the international drug and sports gambling ring.

Find out what's happening in Niles-Morton Grovewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A simple tip sparked the yearlong investigation, United States
Attorney James Santelle of the Eastern District of Wisconsin said at a press conference Thursday morning in Milwaukee.

The investigation culminated May 24, in a massive operation spanning
several states and involving more than 150 law enforcement officers
from more than 14 agencies.

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They executed more than 18 search warrants and arrested 23 people. One person from Los Angeles is still at large.

In total, officials said, 35 people have been charged in connection
with this investigation. The 23 people arrested May 24 face charges of
conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribute
controlled substances, operating an illegal gambling business and
interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise.

This was a “much more high-tech” operation than what they’ve seen
before, Santelle said, using phone calls and text messages to place
and take bets on national and local sports teams.

Santelle called the operation “fairly sophisticated.” Couriers
shuttled drugs from Seattle and British Columbia to the Midwest, he
said, and the cash from gambling proceeds back the other way.

He deferred to Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Sanders to give specifics
about the gambling enterprise. The details have not been included in
any public documents at this point, but have been revealed to some
extent in court, Santelle said.

Individuals in the gambling enterprise were divided into cells,
Sanders said. People in Seattle texted odds out to other contacts, who
would then forward them down the line. That process took about 10
minutes, he said.

Within 30 minutes, Sanders said, calls would go back up the chain with
bets coming in from gamblers.

Vu Nguyen, of Oak Creek, Wisc., Sanders said, would then “communicate with
(people in) Chicago and go over wins and losses.”

Santelle declined to share information about the people placing the
bets, but said the operation was bringing in tens of thousands of
dollars each week. The investigation, he said, is not closed.

“It could lead to future charges or investigative work,” he said. “The
message should be clear to anyone out there, all these people are out
there to identify, investigate and prosecute these cases.”

In addition to the cash, officials seized about 25 pounds of
marijuana, jewelry worth more than $250,000, vehicles worth more than
$250,000, marijuana packaging materials, drug and gambling ledgers,
two firearms and a bulletproof vest.

Charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and
distribute in excess of 1,000 kilograms of marijuana are:
Hoa Q. Nguyen, 52, Mount Pleasant, WI
Vu Q. Nguyen, 28, Oak Creek, WI
Tu C. Ly, 25, Oak Creek, WI
Vinh V. Trinh, 44, Los Angeles, CA
An N. Nguyen, 34, Skokie, IL
Huy Han, 33, Skokie, IL
John Nguyen, 26, Chicago, IL
Hoang P. Nguyen, 32, Chicago, IL
Thanh K. Lai, 37, Chicago, IL
Phuc K. Tran, 34, Elk Grove Village, IL
Hien T. Tran, 32, Elk Grove Village, IL
Sam V. Hunyh, 34, Morton Grove, IL
Quan C. Hoac, 35, St. Cloud MN
Michael S. Harmon, 61, Seattle, WA
Sourideth Joe Chansomphou, 38, Milwaukee, WI
Tien D. Nguyen, 36, Milwaukee, WI
Reno A. Nguyen, 36, Franklin, WI
If convicted, each faces 10 years to life in prison, up to $10 million
in fines and five years to life on supervised release.

Charged with operating an illegal gambling business are:
Hoa Q. Nguyen, 52, Mount Pleasant, WI
Vu Q. Nguyen, 28, Oak Creek, WI
Tu C. Ly, 25, Oak Creek, WI
An. N Nguyen, 34, Skokie, IL
Huy Han, 33, Skokie, IL
Hoang P. Nguyen, 32, Chicago, IL
Thanh K. Lai, 37, Chicago, IL
Khanh N. Lam, 42, Franklin, WI
Laura T. Phan, 40, Wauwatosa, WI
Hoang Hoang, 49, Milwaukee, WI
Binh J. Nguyen, 38, Oak Creek, WI
Tony V. Tran, 43, Germantown, WI
Kevin S. Ho, 41, Mequon, WI
If convicted, each faces up to five years in prison, up to a $250,000
fine and up to three years on supervised release

Charged with interstate travel in aid of a racketeering enterprise are:
Jimmy D. Ho, Niles, IL
Quan C. Hoac, 35, St. Cloud, MN
If convicted, each faces up to five years in prison, up to a $250,000
fine and up to three years on supervised release


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