Five charged, including two employees, in alleged scheme to defraud southwest Calgary casino

Calgary police have arrested and charged two men and three women in relation to an alleged scheme to defraud a southwest Calgary casino.

The alleged scheme involved two employees issuing fraudulent winnings to patrons, according to police.

Police say casino management staff launched an internal investigation after noticing suspicious activity and later alerted the Calgary Police Service.

It is believed that between Oct. 31 and Nov. 19, “two employees of the casino illegitimately issued unearned winnings to three patrons on several occasions, who participated in various card games,” CPS said in a news release.

Officers were called to the casino for reports of theft and fraud on Nov. 19. When they arrived, police located and arrested five suspects, CPS said.

As a result, five people — Yalan Yin, 50; Leonilo Calahi Juan, 51; Rui Qin Huang, 52; Rosielyn Konno, 57; and Catherine Manipon, 48 — have each been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Konno and Manipon are also charged with one count each of criminal breach of trust.

All five accused are scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 22.

“Addressing financial crime requires a united approach across different agencies,” said Insp. Scott Neilson of the Calgary Police Service in a statement.

“The Calgary Police Service works closely with regulatory bodies and industry partners to ensure gaming industry standards are followed, and those who attempt to exploit them are held accountable. We thank our investigators and partners for their diligent work in helping us advance this investigation.”

Anyone with information to share is asked to contact Calgary police at 403-266-1234. Anonymous tips are accepted through Calgary Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, on the organization’s website, or via the P3Tips mobile app.