Sydney police have spent the past few months unravelling the mystery of Pete Tan Hoang’s murder. As they investigated the case, they uncovered a money laundering scheme that has highlighted major security issues at Crown Casino. He was born in Vietnam and orphaned at a young age. In 1997, he visited Australia on a student visa under the name Petrus Keyn Peten.
Shortly afterwards, he applied for refugee status under the name Minh Tan Nguyen. He became a citizen in 2001, and changed his name two more times afterwards. By this time, he had already been banned from The Star Casino; however, he was able to continue his gambling at Crown Melbourne. Between 2000 and 2012, Hoang had spent $1 billion gambling at Crown Melbourne.
He was considered a high roller at the venue, being provided with numerous perks such as: exotic holidays, cash gifts worth up to $100 000 and gambling commissions. In 2006, he was identified by the Australian Crime Commission as a drug trafficker and money launderer but continued to be treated as a high roller at Crown Melbourne until 2012 when he was formally charged with money laundering.
He was arrested at Crown Melbourne’s high roller room after it was discovered that he planned to gamble $1.5 million of crime proceeds. Throughout the 2000s, Hoang was well-known for his dealings in the crime world. He was involved with the Ong Ngoai, a Hong-Kong crime syndicate that traffics drugs internationally. Despite this knowledge about his criminal dealings, Crown Melbourne continued to treat him to a lavish, high-roller lifestyle.
It is certainly a disturbing situation, as it seems that Crown Melbourne turned a blind eye to Hoang’s involvement in the crime world.
This case highlights the need for greater security in the land-based casino market in order to cut down on money laundering and maintain the integrity of gambling venues in Australia.
About the Author
