OAKLAND — An alleged underworld gambling boss has been sentenced to 90 days in jail for violating his probation from a casino beatdown conviction, court records show.
Wai “Weezy” Hoang, 33, admitted to violating probation and received a 90-day jail term on April 1, but with good behavior he’ll only have to serve 45 days, court records show. Hoang was on probation because in 2024 he and two others pleaded no contest to assaulting a gambling patron who was stripped nude and beaten to a pulp inside an illegal casino, court records show.
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The recent probation violation case against Hoang comes as Oakland police ramp up efforts to curb illegal gambling rackets, amid ongoing concerns over violence between two rival groups. Police say they have documented at least 20 shootings believed to be retaliatory incidents between two illicit casinos allegedly operated by Hoang, and two others owned by a different group.
The shootings have targeted illegal casinos on 17th Avenue in Oakland’s San Antonio area — where police say Hoang operated two such gambling shacks — as well as Plymouth Street, 77th Avenue, and Pontiac Street. One suspected gambling den on the 900 block of 77th Avenue in East Oakland was shot up nine times between January 11 and March 20, authorities said.
The shootings continued even after a series of early March raids by Oakland police, where officers seized methamphetamine, gambling machines and 15 guns at the suspected gambling dens. Oakland police have reached out to the FBI for assistance, and say while there have been no fatalities, five people have been injured thus far.
As the violence continues, police say they’ve found evidence that gambling racketeers have hired unofficial security guards — local henchmen paid to sit outside the businesses, armed with firearms, just in case.
Hoang was arrested during a March 5 casino raid on 17th Avenue, where he allegedly hopped a fence and ran a short distance before surrendering to police. In their bid to violate his probation, prosecutors said he’d been spotted at other casinos before.
