The nephew of seven-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Men 'The Master' Nguyen has been arrested in Vietman and charged with stealing over US $60,000 in cash and valuables from Nguyen's Binh Thuan province home. According to a Vietnamese news report, Dinh Chi Vu, 41, was arrested on Sunday and charged with breaking into a room and opening a safe in Nguyen's bedroom to steal VND 250 million (about US $8,000) in cash, along with valuables that included three Rolex watches.
Nguyen discovered the theft when he returned to Vietnam on August 20 after spending three months in the US during the height of the summer poker activity in Las Vegas and California. While in the US, Nguyen left his house in coastal Phan Thiet City in the care of his sister and her sons. Upon his return, he found that his locked room had been broken into, the key to his safe had been found, and items and cash had been taken.
Vu confessed to the police that he had purchased a lock-picking set, picked the lock on the door of Nguyen's room, stolen the items, and sold the jewelry and American currency. Police were able to recover some of the items.
Nguyen fled the former South Vietnam by boat in 1978 after that country fell to the communist North Vietnamese regime. He made his way to the US, where he was granted political asylum. He became a US citizen in 1986 and resides in California, though he has since returned to Vietnam and established a second residence there.
He also began playing poker in the mid-'80s, eventually becoming a successful, though often controversial, player. In addition to his seven WSOP bracelets, he has also claimed four Circuit rings and almost $4.3 million in WSOP earnings. Overall, Nguyen has cashed for more than $11 million in recorded events, His first recorded win came in 1987, and his most recent win was in 2020, in a WPT prelim event.
