A Vietnamese American with a criminal record in the United States along with another man has been handed a life sentence for an armed robbery in Vietnam. Mark Joseph Nguyen, 35, and Nguyen Phuoc Hai, 36, were both convicted of being leaders of a gang of men who held up two gold shops in the Bac Binh District. reported ThanhNien News.
According to an indictment, Nguyen has been convicted of drug-related crimes in the US and is listed as wanted by Interpol. Authorities say the gang had originally planned to rob a bank, but abandoned that idea for the gold shop. Prosecutors say the men used tasers and iron poles in their heist. Police say Nguyen also lost control of his car trying to escape police after one of the gold robberies and slammed into another man, killing him.