Two men who won more than $30,000 at two local casinos are facing criminal charges after allegedly cheating by marking cards, prosecutors said.

Vaagn Galustyan, 52, and Armin Martirosyan, 53, were arraigned Tuesday in San Diego County Superior Court. Both face two felony counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a news release.

According to the DA, the defendants, along with a third unidentified individual, separately entered Pala Casino and sat together at a table to play Mississippi Stud Poker. During the game, surveillance cameras allegedly caught them bending the corners of high-value cards —Tens, Jacks, Queens, Kings and Aces— to help identify what cards the dealer might hold, giving them an advantage when placing bets in later rounds.

“This method of cheating at cards goes back centuries, but with modern technology it can be detected, and those who attempt to scam local casinos can be brought to justice,” Stephan said. “I’m proud of my office’s relationships with tribal governments and the cooperation we continue to have with them to successfully prosecute a variety of crimes that occur on tribal lands.”

After the poker table was shut down, the defendants left the casino without cashing in their chips. Five hours later, they returned in different clothing and partially cashed out their winnings at two different Pala Casino cashiers, receiving $19,250, according to prosecutors.

The following week, the men allegedly repeated the same scheme at Harrah’s Casino in Valley Center, where they won $13,410.

Galustyan and Martirosyan each face up to three years and eight months in prison if convicted. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 15.

 

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