A 42-year-old man who was fatally beaten in an illegal gambling room downtown in 2011 admitted stealing $1,500 from the house, the operation’s head of security testified in state court Thursday.
The security chief, Manu Tonga, said Duc Pham, who worked for him as a doorman, made the admission and apologized after he slapped Pham in the head six to eight times. Tonga said he stopped hitting Pham after that because there was no reason to continue.
All that was left to do was to get Pham to agree to a repayment plan. He said other employees who had stolen as much as $6,000 from the game room were either banned or slapped around and made to repay the money.
That’s when things got out of control.
Tonga said that after he stopped hitting Pham, Alex Nguyen started beating Pham with his fists, his feet, a chair, a table and a heavy chain. He said Nguyen refused his requests to stop.
Deputy Prosecutor Rodney Veary said in opening statements Thursday that Nguyen told police Pham owed him $100.
Nguyen, 35, is on trial for murder and kidnapping.
Tonga testified Nguyen was not employed or connected to the gambling operation, contradicting earlier police accounts that he was a doorman or guard.
Tonga, 25, pleaded guilty to assault and kidnapping in April in a deal with the government in exchange for his testimony against Nguyen.
A member of Tonga’s security team, Maauga Imoa, 28, and Sione Vulangi, 30, who Tonga said was a gambling room cashier, pleaded guilty to assault and kidnapping as well and are also scheduled to testify against Nguyen.
The three are accused of snatching Pham from another game room and refusing to let him go during the beating.
Tonga said Nguyen accused Pham of stealing from his family and kept asking Pham for the money.
Defense lawyer Harrison Kiehm asked Tonga, 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing close to 500 pounds at the time, why he didn’t stop Nguyen.
"I was scared of Alex," he said. "The things he do and known for, I wouldn’t even try to stop him."
Tonga said Nguyen had gone to the gambling room to celebrate a manager’s birthday and refused to leave when Tonga ordered the house cleared for Pham’s interrogation. He said he was afraid of Nguyen because he knows that Nguyen gets out of control when he drinks.
