Yee quits sec'y of state race
Calif. state Sen. Leland Yee is charged with public corruption.
A closer look at the case's key players
Updated 11:06 pm, Wednesday, March 26, 2014
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State Sen. Leland Yee, focus of the probe Photo: Tim Maloney, The Chronicle
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FontLeland Yee
Yee, 65, is a former San Francisco school board president and supervisor who has represented part of San Francisco and most of San Mateo County in the state Senate since 2008. He ran for mayor of San Francisco in 2011 and was campaigning to be the next California secretary of state.Investigators charged Yee with becoming involved in Chow's alleged illegal activities to raise money for his elections and to take care of the $70,000 debt he accrued in his failed mayoral campaign. With friend and consultant Keith Jackson, another former school board president, Yee is accused of soliciting donations from undercover FBI agents in exchange for official acts. Although he was a staunch advocate against gun violence as senator, Yee is accused of gun trafficking.
Keith Jackson
Jackson is a former president of the San Francisco Board of Education. He ran for the board in 1994 on a pro-family slate, but The Chronicle found in 1997 that he owed more than $5,000 in child support and that the courts were garnishing his wages.Jackson, who worked as Yee's consultant, is accused - along with his son, Brandon Jackson, and another man - of conspiring in a murder-for-hire scheme and of soliciting donations from undercover FBI agents in exchange for Yee's official acts.
Raymond Chow
Chow, 54, nicknamed "Shrimp Boy," is a notorious Chinatown gangster who professed to have left the criminal life when he was released from prison in 2003 after pleading guilty to federal racketeering charges.The FBI, though, on Wednesday said Chow has continued a life of crime that includes money laundering and conspiracy to illegally traffic goods as the head of the Ghee Kung Tong organization, a Chinese brotherhood now allegedly being run as a criminal group, and the head of the Hop Sing Boys, a San Francisco street gang.
Wilson Sy Lim, 60, of Daly City is accused of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and conspiracy to illegally import firearms.
Brandon Jackson, 28, of San Francisco is Keith Jackson's son. He is accused of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, dealing in firearms without a license and murder for hire.
Marlon Sullivan, 29, of Oakland, is a friend of the Jackson family. He is accused of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, dealing in firearms without a license and murder for hire.
OTHERS ACCUSED
Jane Miao Xhen Liang, 35, of Daly City is accused of conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce.
Tina Yao Gui Liang, 39, of Concord is accused of conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce and conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
Bryan Tilton, 37, of Daly City is accused of conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce and conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
Norge Ronald Mastrangelo, 37, of San Francisco is accused of money laundering.
Anthony John Lai, 26, of Daly City, is accused of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Rinn Roeun, 30, of San Francisco is accused of dealing in firearms without a license and murder for hire.
Ghee Kung Tong affiliation
A Chinese brotherhood led by Raymond Chow and allegedly being run as a criminal group.Kevin Siu, 30, of Daly City was allegedly a member of the Ghee Kung Tong gang and is accused of laundering money stemming from unlawful activity.
George Nieh, 44, of San Francisco is a felon convicted of assault who is accused of being the leader of a local street gang, Wah Ching. He is accused of money laundering, conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce, conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, dealing in firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Alan Chiu, 58, of San Francisco was allegedly a member of Ghee Kung Tong and is accused of money laundering.
Xiao Cheng Mei, 30, of Daly City was allegedly a member of Ghee Kung Tong and is accused of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.
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Andy Li, 40,
of South San Francisco was a close friend of Chow's with a lengthy
criminal record but was no longer a Ghee Kung Tong member. He is accused
of money laundering, conspiracy to distribute narcotics, dealing in
firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Kongphet Chanthavong, 36, of San Francisco was allegedly a former Ghee Kung Tong member and associate of Chow's. He is accused of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, dealing in firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Hung Ming Ma, 29, of San Francisco was an alleged enforcer for Ghee Kung Tong. Ma is accused of conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce.
Hon Keung So, 55, of Alameda, allegedly hosted Ghee Kung Tong events at his New Asia Restaurant. So is accused of conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce.
Albert Nhingsavath, 32, of San Francisco is accused of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Serge Gee, 28, of Cupertino is accused of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Gary Kwong Yiu Chen, 25, of San Francisco is accused of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Elaine Liang, 51, of Cupertino is accused of money laundering.
Leslie Yun, 42, of Oakland is a director for the Ghee Kung Tong Supreme Lodge Chinese Freemasons of the World. Yun is accused of money laundering of funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activity, conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce, conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Yat Wah Pau, 55, of Oakland is a director for the Ghee Kung Tong Supreme Lodge, Chinese Freemasons of the World. He is accused of money laundering of funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activity, conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce and conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes.
Dec. 19, 1992: Yee, then a San Francisco school board member, is arrested in Kona, Hawaii, after exiting a store with a bottle of suntan lotion. He travels back to San Francisco without notifying Hawaiian police and is never prosecuted.
Feb. 21, 1995: Chow is convicted and later sentenced to more than 23 years in prison on gun-trafficking charges. He later cuts a deal to testify against gang leader Peter Chong and is released in 2003.
May 1, 1996: The racketeering case against Chow ends in a mistrial. Federal officials call it a major blow to their efforts against organized crime.
May 1997: Court records reveal that Jackson, then president of the San Francisco school board, owes his estranged wife more than $5,000 in child support for his two sons. Jackson had campaigned on a platform of family responsibility.
March 20, 1998: San Francisco is at the center of a national controversy over school book reading-list quotas after a Jackson proposal. He and another school board member want to require high-school students to read four of seven books by nonwhite authors every year. The Board of Education eventually decides to require diverse book selections without the quota.
November 1999: News breaks that twice in recent months, Yee was stopped and questioned by San Francisco police on suspicion he was cruising the Mission District for prostitutes. Yee said both instances were cases of mistaken identity.
January 2006: Yee is accused of taking money from a political action committee set up by the plastics industry shortly after voting against a bill that would have banned potentially harmful chemicals from baby products.
Feb. 27, 2006: The spotlight falls on Chow and Chinatown's Ghee Kung Tong when "dragon head" Allen Leung is gunned down at his import-export business on Jackson Street. The killing remains unsolved.
Aug. 1, 2007: In an SF Weekly interview, Chow talks about his role in the Hop Sing Boys gang and why he testified against Chong.
June 14, 2009: Mayor Gavin Newsom pulls the plug on the city-funded Chinatown Night Market after Chow offered to run it for $1 a year and appointed six members of Ghee Kung Tong to the board of directors of the Chinatown Neighborhood Association.
March 26, 2014: The FBI raids Yee's San Francisco home and Sacramento offices. Yee is arrested at his home. Chow and Jackson are also arrested. The feds say Yee participated in conversations about an illegal gun-trafficking deal and took money from undercover agents for his secretary of state campaign. Chow and Jackson are among 25 other people named in the federal affidavit. The feds say Jackson consulted with both Yee and Chow, and that FBI agents were able to infiltrate Chow's organization to facilitate the illegal deals.
Kongphet Chanthavong, 36, of San Francisco was allegedly a former Ghee Kung Tong member and associate of Chow's. He is accused of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, dealing in firearms without a license and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Hung Ming Ma, 29, of San Francisco was an alleged enforcer for Ghee Kung Tong. Ma is accused of conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce.
Hon Keung So, 55, of Alameda, allegedly hosted Ghee Kung Tong events at his New Asia Restaurant. So is accused of conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce.
Albert Nhingsavath, 32, of San Francisco is accused of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Serge Gee, 28, of Cupertino is accused of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Gary Kwong Yiu Chen, 25, of San Francisco is accused of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Elaine Liang, 51, of Cupertino is accused of money laundering.
Leslie Yun, 42, of Oakland is a director for the Ghee Kung Tong Supreme Lodge Chinese Freemasons of the World. Yun is accused of money laundering of funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activity, conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce, conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes and conspiracy to distribute narcotics.
Yat Wah Pau, 55, of Oakland is a director for the Ghee Kung Tong Supreme Lodge, Chinese Freemasons of the World. He is accused of money laundering of funds believed to be proceeds of unlawful activity, conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property in interstate commerce and conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes.
Controversy follows trio
The three people at the center of Wednesday's San Francisco corruption sting - state Sen. Leland Yee, Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow and former school board head Keith Jackson have been plagued by controversies through the years. Here's a look at some of the incidents:Dec. 19, 1992: Yee, then a San Francisco school board member, is arrested in Kona, Hawaii, after exiting a store with a bottle of suntan lotion. He travels back to San Francisco without notifying Hawaiian police and is never prosecuted.
Feb. 21, 1995: Chow is convicted and later sentenced to more than 23 years in prison on gun-trafficking charges. He later cuts a deal to testify against gang leader Peter Chong and is released in 2003.
May 1, 1996: The racketeering case against Chow ends in a mistrial. Federal officials call it a major blow to their efforts against organized crime.
May 1997: Court records reveal that Jackson, then president of the San Francisco school board, owes his estranged wife more than $5,000 in child support for his two sons. Jackson had campaigned on a platform of family responsibility.
March 20, 1998: San Francisco is at the center of a national controversy over school book reading-list quotas after a Jackson proposal. He and another school board member want to require high-school students to read four of seven books by nonwhite authors every year. The Board of Education eventually decides to require diverse book selections without the quota.
November 1999: News breaks that twice in recent months, Yee was stopped and questioned by San Francisco police on suspicion he was cruising the Mission District for prostitutes. Yee said both instances were cases of mistaken identity.
January 2006: Yee is accused of taking money from a political action committee set up by the plastics industry shortly after voting against a bill that would have banned potentially harmful chemicals from baby products.
Feb. 27, 2006: The spotlight falls on Chow and Chinatown's Ghee Kung Tong when "dragon head" Allen Leung is gunned down at his import-export business on Jackson Street. The killing remains unsolved.
Aug. 1, 2007: In an SF Weekly interview, Chow talks about his role in the Hop Sing Boys gang and why he testified against Chong.
June 14, 2009: Mayor Gavin Newsom pulls the plug on the city-funded Chinatown Night Market after Chow offered to run it for $1 a year and appointed six members of Ghee Kung Tong to the board of directors of the Chinatown Neighborhood Association.
March 26, 2014: The FBI raids Yee's San Francisco home and Sacramento offices. Yee is arrested at his home. Chow and Jackson are also arrested. The feds say Yee participated in conversations about an illegal gun-trafficking deal and took money from undercover agents for his secretary of state campaign. Chow and Jackson are among 25 other people named in the federal affidavit. The feds say Jackson consulted with both Yee and Chow, and that FBI agents were able to infiltrate Chow's organization to facilitate the illegal deals.
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