San Francisco, California - A federal jury in San Francisco convicted Kwok Cheung Chow, aka Raymond Chow, aka “Ha Jai,” aka “Shrimp Boy,” Friday of racketeering, murder, money laundering, and conspiracy charges, announced Acting United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch, FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, Special Agent in Charge Michael Batdorf. In completing its verdict form, the jury found Chow guilty of every one of the 162 charges leveled against him.
Chow, 55, of San Francisco, stood trial for participating in a racketeering organization. Chow originally was charged with various racketeering related crimes in a criminal complaint filed March 24, 2015. The complaint charged that the purposes of the organization included the illegal trafficking of controlled substances, extortion, and participation in the collection of illegal debts. On October 15, 2015, the charges were formally amended in a Third Superseding Indictment to include murder. Chow was charged with and today convicted of arranging the murder of Allen Leung, conspiring with others to murder Jim Tat Kong.
“I want to personally thank all the hard-working men and women whose efforts resulted in bringing Mr. Chow to justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brian J. Stretch. “Those dedicated public servants include the prosecutors in this office and the staff that ably assisted them; the employees of our federal partners at the FBI, IRS and the U.S Marshal Service; the employees of our law enforcement partners from the police departments of San Francisco, Oakland, and New York; and the Mercer County New Jersey Sheriff's Office.”
“This conviction represents a just and final end to Mr. Chow's long running and deadly criminal career,” said San Francisco FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Johnson. “The FBI is dedicated to investigating and prosecuting violent criminal enterprises operating in the Bay Area and will continue to work closely with our state and local partners to make our communities and residents safe.”
The jury’s verdict finds Chow guilty of a register of activities in connection with the racketeering organization and additional conspiracies. In all, Chow was convicted of 162 counts including 125 counts of money laundering, aiding and abetting the laundering of proceeds of narcotics sales, conspiring to deal in illegal sales of goods (including 50 cases of Hennessey XO and 27 cases of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch Whiskey) and engaging in the illegal sale of cigarettes (over 10,000).
The jury trial was held before the Honorable Charles R. Breyer, United States District Judge.
Chow remains in custody where he has been since his arrest on March 26, 2014. His sentencing currently is scheduled to take place on March 23, 2016, before Judge Breyer. Chow is subject to a mandatory life sentence for his conviction of murder with special circumstances in connection with racketeering activity. Chow also faces a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine as a result of his convicted of the racketeering charge; a maximum ten year sentence and $250,000 fine for his conviction of conspiring to commit murder in aid of racketeering; a maximum 20 year sentence and $500,000 fine (or twice the value of the property laundered) for each violation of money laundering; and a maximum charge of five years in prison and $250,000 for each charge of conspiracy. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Frentzen, Susan Badger, and S. Waqar Hasib are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rosario Calderon, Kurk Kosek, Ana Guerra, Marina Ponomarchuk, Victoria Etterer, and Lance Libatique. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Marshal Service, San Francisco Police Department Gang Task Force; Oakland Police Department; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation; New York Police Department; and the Mercer County New Jersey Sheriff's Office.
