Female ringleader of gambling and lottery ring sentenced.
Nguyen Thi Oanh is the ringleader of a gambling ring that recorded lottery numbers and betting slips. Notably, this "female ringleader" had previously been fined twice for gambling offenses.
On August 8th, the People's Court of Nghe An province held an appeal trial to hear the case of Nguyen Thi Oanh (42 years old) and Nguyen Thi Hoa (52 years old), both residing in Hoang Mai ward, Nghe An province, on charges of...Gamble.
The ringleader of this gambling and lottery betting operation is Nguyen Thi Oanh. Notably, this individual had previously been fined twice for gambling and lottery-related offenses.
To evade law enforcement, Oanh created a sophisticated network of accomplices operating in multiple locations, only accepting lottery and betting slips via social media platforms like Zalo and Facebook, and text messages.
On July 9th and 10th, 2024, Nguyen Thi Oanh, along with several other individuals, including Nguyen Thi Hoa, participated in gambling activities involving card games and lottery ticket sales.
In the case of lottery betting, the total amount of money Oanh gambled with the other individuals was over 180 million VND. Of that, nearly 70 million VND was gambled with Hoa. Regarding card games, the investigating agency determined the total amount of money gambled by the individuals was over 7 million VND.
Subsequently, the trial court sentenced defendant Nguyen Thi Oanh to 3 years and 3 months in prison and defendant Nguyen Thi Hoa to 12 months in prison for gambling. Both defendants later appealed, requesting a reduced sentence and were granted a suspended sentence.
At the appellate trial, the defendants maintained the content of their appeals. Presenting their reasons for requesting a reduced sentence, defendant Oanh stated that she is disabled, surrendered after committing the crime, her family has contributed to the revolution, she participated in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, supported flood relief efforts, and supported the construction of solidarity houses in 2024. She also received commendations during her time working at the kindergarten.
Defendant Hoa presented her difficult family circumstances, stating that her husband had passed away and her eldest child was undergoing drug rehabilitation. She also stated that she had paid the amount of money she was ordered to repay in order to request a reduction in her sentence.
The appellate court ruled that Nguyen Thi Oanh was the ringleader in this case, committing multiple offenses. However, the defendant is disabled, and at this trial, she presented some new circumstances that should be considered to demonstrate leniency from the law. Therefore, the court partially accepted the defendant's appeal and sentenced Oanh to 3 years in prison.
Defendant Nguyen Thi Hoa has a good character and a clear place of residence, so she does not need to be isolated from society. Therefore, the court sentenced her to 12 months of imprisonment with a suspended sentence.
