Woman Who Pulled $40,000 Scam Dodges Prison

A Westminster woman, pleaded guilty today to grand theft and was immediately sentenced to three years probation.

Josefina Tuyet Nguyen, 40, could have faced four years in prison had a jury convicted her of the single felony count. But under a plea deal with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, she dodged jail time in return for agreeing to make full restitution to the victim she scammed.

Deputy District Attorney Paul Svitenko said and the defense made the offer.     

Superior Court Judge Elaine Johnson ordered the Department of Probation to conduct an analysis of the defendant's finances to determine her ability to repay the money and over what period of time.

According to the Wildomar Police Department, Nguyen was present last March when a 43-year-old Temecula woman gambling at Pechanga Resort Casino won a $50,000 jackpot. Nguyen approached the victim, whose identity was not released, and began spinning a yarn about how the woman could make $20,000 to $30,000 in a few months by backing an exporting venture, Sgt. Patrick Chavez said.

The defendant and victim became well-acquainted, he said, and the latter was eventually persuaded to provide Nguyen with $40,000 of her winnings for an enterprise, which purportedly involved shipping electronics to Vietnam.

In the ensuing months, Nguyen ceased communicating with the woman. But the victim happened to spot Nguyen playing the high-roller tables at Pechanga last September, so police were contacted, according to the sergeant.

Deputies detained Nguyen at the casino and seized $18,000 in casino chips, the sergeant said.

He said investigators determined the business venture had been a scam, and none of the money from the victim's winnings remained.

Svitenko said the judge ordered that the casino chips be released to the victim so that she can redeem them for cash. –Toni McAllister contributed to this report.