Detectives probed calls made from Burnaby casino to E-Pirate suspect
RCMP linked Grand Villa cellphone to number belonging to Jin: documents
A federal organized crime unit investigated phone calls made from inside a Burnaby casino to the number of Paul King Jin, who is at the centre of the RCMP’s investigation into transnational money laundering using B.C. casinos, according to documents obtained by Postmedia News.
New information obtained by Postmedia shows that in August 2015, near the start of the RCMP’s so-called E-Pirate investigation, investigators met to discuss Jin’s connections to B.C. casinos. Government documents allege that Jin, who had been banned by the B.C. Lottery Corp., is the primary suspect in a transnational network that is accused of using VIP gamblers from Macau to buy chips in B.C. casinos, in order to launder hundreds of millions in drug-dealing cash.
B.C. Lottery Corp. documents say that Jin’s network mostly served patrons at Richmond’s River Rock Casino. However, the documents say that Jin was also active at Burnaby’s Grand Villa casino and New Westminster’s Starlight Casino.
At an August 2015 “Jin file” meeting, members of RCMP’s federal serious and organized crime unit reviewed information about several calls that were made to Jin from inside Grand Villa casino in June 2015, documents show. A Postmedia source with knowledge of the Jin file said investigators established the calls were made from a cellphone registered to the casino. The information raised concerns for investigators that a casino staffer might be involved in facilitating cash deliveries from Jin’s network, the source said. After initial meetings on the calls made from the Burnaby casino to Jin’s phone, it was unclear if investigators ever identified a suspect among casino staff, a source said.
The documents also say that in multi-agency meetings about Jin, RCMP investigators expressed their perception that B.C. Lottery Corp. leadership seemed unwilling to tackle what police viewed as a clear problem of huge volumes of suspicious cash flooding B.C. casinos.
Tanya Gabara, spokeswoman for Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, operator of Grand Villa, said Gateway has never been informed of the RCMP’s probe into calls made to Jin.
“We are not aware of any investigation concerning the involvement of our staff and Mr. Jin, nor have we been approached by any regulator or law enforcement body concerning our staff and Mr. Jin,” Gabara said. “However, we take our compliance and regulatory responsibilities very seriously and we will follow up with RCMP and (B.C.’s gaming enforcement branch.)”
Gabara added that there are many phone lines registered to the casino.
“There is a landline adjacent to the VIP area that is available for use by the public,” Gabara said. “It’s a large complex with public phones throughout the site.”
Gabara later added that Gateway has followed up with the RCMP and as of this month, “Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit has confirmed that there is no such investigation.”
In the E-Pirate investigation, police allege that Jin and several associates were connected to probable offences involving narcotics importation and trafficking, operating illegal casinos, evading taxes and conspiring to launder money, a B.C. Supreme Court filing says. So far two people and an alleged illegal underground bank business in Richmond have been charged, but not Jin. Jin’s operation, according to government documents, allowed ultra-wealthy Chinese businessmen, some allegedly with ties to organized crime, to move money from China to Canada while evading China’s tight capital export controls.
It is not uncommon for staff in BCLC casinos to be accused of inappropriate contact with illegal cash lenders, Postmedia’s review of gaming enforcement branch reports shows. Most recently, prominent River Rock Casino VIP hostess Lisa Gao, who oversaw all high-limit betting operations, was de-registered and lost her job in February after an enforcement branch investigation into allegations that she “acted in direct violation of BCLC and Fintrac directives about third party cash buy-ins.”
Documents obtained by Postmedia through freedom-of-information show that, since 2010, the enforcement branch has investigated a number of cases involving VIP staff at Metro Vancouver casinos.
In July 2010, one report says, the branch investigated allegations that a River Rock Casino guest services worker was inappropriately associating with “BCLC barred subjects.”
The Ministry of Attorney General confirmed details of the case in response to questions from Postmedia. The ministry says that an unknown source tipped BCLC investigators that the River Rock employee was believed to be “involved in an inappropriate relationship with a BCLC barred loan shark.”
The employee was allegedly given a BMW auto, and in return “was advising the ‘loan shark’ of VIP patrons in attendance so that they could be approached for the purpose of facilitating cash in the casino,” the statement says. As a result of an enforcement branch investigation, the worker resigned his position at the Richmond casino.
“Based on the resignation of the individual, no further action took place on behalf of (the enforcement branch),” a statement from the ministry said. “The police of jurisdiction were notified of the incident.”
The incident has been noted on the man’s file, and if he applies again for employment in a B.C. casino, “he would have to go through the interview process again,” the response says.
Another BCLC investigation report talks about “allegations of improper activities by VIP hosts and allowing loan sharks to operate” at Vancouver’s Edgewater Casino in June 2010. The case was not initially reported to police, the document says. BCLC has yet to respond to a request for information on the outcome of this case.
Another BCLC investigation file says that in September 2010, at Burnaby’s Grand Villa casino, suspects were involved in a thirdparty exchange of cash. One gambler cashed out $110,000 worth of chips, but pocketed only $10,000. Next, an unidentified person was observed “placing the rest (of the money) into a bag, supplied by a VIP host, and carrying the money out of the casino.”
The redacted document does not explain whether the VIP host was investigated in this suspicious large cash exchange transaction.
Another September 2010 BCLC investigation file at the Burnaby casino alleges “possible loan sharking activity in the VIP room.”
Police were not called initially in either case, BCLC documents show.