A sharp-witted customs official foiled a sophisticated custom poker chip scam, after a Chinese student planned to embezzle the Crown Perth casino for $25,900.
When the casino news outlets started to break the story that a high roller had somehow managed to swindle Melbourne’s Crown Casino for $32m and change, the thought of doing something similar must have popped into the heads of one or two opportunists.
That’s certainly the case for a Chinese student by the name of Zhen Jiang who must have overdosed on James Bond movies before concocting a scheme to make counterfeit chips to be used at the Crown Perth casino.
26 year old Jiang hatched a plot with the former croupier Wei Ricky Si to create 1,900 counterfeit $25 chips, but was foiled when a customs official found 2,073 casino hologram stickers hidden with business cards addressed to a massage parlor in Bassaenden, which transpired to be Si’s actual home.
The local authorities were alerted and arranged a control delivery before searching Si’s home, where they seized gaming chips and stickers. Whilst the police were busy raiding Si’s home, his hapless accomplice knocked on the door and was immediately arrested by police on the scene. A search of his car revealed the 1,900 counterfeit $25 chips.
Zhen Jiang was fined $3,000 after he pleaded guilty to counterfeiting charges, and the former Croupier Si also pleaded guilty and will be charged next month.
Prosecutor Brett Tooker wasn’t happy with the verdict believing the pair should have served some hard time because had they been successful the amount they ‘stood to gain and Burswood stood to lose’ was $25,900, and some time doing porridge would act as a deterrent for other people.
Had Jiang had the ambition of the Crown Melbourne thief he would have needed to create 1.28m chips and would have been playing baccarat at the Crown Perth casino for the rest of his life.
It’s the second time that the Crown Perth casino has hit the headlines in the past few weeks, after the One Direction heart throb Harry Styles had his role model status questioned after he was pictured blowing a fraction of his $24m fortune at the roulette tables.
