When it appeared that such bigger charges might not stick (though who knows what the total fallout may still be), the government added murder charges to Chow’s case in October, relating to two deaths in the last decade of rival Chinatown tong leaders. In addition, the indictment charged Chow with arranging the 2006 murder of Allen Leung, his predecessor as head of the Tong organization.
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Defense attorney J. Tony Serra said Chow was “noble in his acceptance of defeat” and told his attorneys they would prevail in the next round. He is scheduled to be sentenced February 10.
Chow’s defense attorneys said they plan an appeal, claiming Senior District Judge Charles Breyer unfairly limited their case by refusing to let a number of witnesses testify.
The agent, who testified under a pseudonym to protect his identity, said Chow tried to distance himself from any criminal activity during the probe but repeatedly accepted money after introducing the agent to money launderers.
California state Sen. Leland Yee was suspended before pleading guilty in July to a racketeering count involving bribes.
The notorious, self-described “sun of the underworld” goes by many names: Kwok Cheung Chow, Raymond Chow, Ha Jai or “Shrimp Boy”.
He was sentenced to more than 13 years in prison, but served a much shorter sentence after agreeing to testify in another prosecution.
San Francisco’s flashiest trial in years – complete with an unforgettable nickname, Chinatown killings and the downfall of a state senator – is ending with a clean-sweep verdict for federal prosecutors. “He smiled, he was not unnerved, he shook all of our hands… and he said we’ll win on the second round, referring to the appellate process”.
In 2000, Chow pleaded guilty to racketeering for crimes including heroin and cocaine trafficking, attempted murder and robbery, according to an Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit in Chow’s current case. Chow’s lawyers say the money was foisted on him with no proof he was involved in committing crimes. Yee fell into the crosshairs of the FBI investigation because of Chow’s ties to San Francisco political consultant Keith Jackson, who also has pleaded guilty to racketeering.
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This trial follows on the heels of Chow’s other legal troubles more than 15 years ago. The murder allegations relied heavily on the testimony of those informants.
