[UPDATED] Federal prosecutors say they will not seek the death penalty for Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, who is charged with murder in aid of racketeering for allegedly ordering the murder of two gang rivals.
Chow faces trial in November on charges he ran a Chinese gang to extort and launder money, traffic in firearms and solicit killings to maintain control.
The court filing this week did not indicate why the government decided against seeking the death penalty against Chow.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer last week agreed to delay the start of jury selection and pushed back the start of the trial while Chow’s lawyer Tony Serra finishes an unrelated jury trial.
The original case against Chow and 26 others, filed in 2014, also snared former California state Senator Leland Yee, a Democrat, and the former San Francisco School Board member Keith Jackson, a close associate of Yee’s.
Yee pleaded guilty to corruption charges in July.
Chow, leader of the Chee Kung Tong, has existed in San Francisco since the late 1800s. It was formed primarily for civic purposes to benefit the Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans who faced abuse and anti-Chinese laws in America.
Federal prosecutors allege that under Chow’s control the Tong carried out assaults, threats of violence, intimidation, extortion and engaged in murder, drug trafficking, sale of stolen goods and firearms.
The indictment alleged that in 2006 Chow in order to collect a debt caused the murder of Allen Leung and between 2011 and 2013 conspired to murder Jim Tat Kong.
Chow, 55, has a long criminal history and is listed as the “dragonhead” or leader of the San Francisco Chee Kung Tong.
The FBI alleged that from 20011 to 2013, Chow and others laundered $2.3 million in allegedly illegal funds.
Case: U.S. v. Chow, No. 14-cr-196
The third amended indictment issued last week accuses Chow of murder in aid of a racketeering scheme, which carries a potential death sentence.
Just hours before the new indictment issued, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer rejected the government’s request to delay the scheduled Nov. 2 trial start, noting that if the government issued an indictment with a capital charge he would sever that count and proceed with the trail on the non-capital counts.
The original case against Chow and 26 others, filed in 2014, also snared former California state Senator Leland Yee, a Democrat, and the former San Francisco School Board member Keith Jackson, a close associate of Yee’s.
Yee pleaded guilty to corruption charges in July.
Chow, leader of the Chee Kung Tong, has existed in San Francisco since the late 1800s. It was formed primarily for civic purposes to benefit the Chinese immigrants and Chinese Americans who faced abuse and anti-Chinese laws in America.
Federal prosecutors allege that under Chow’s control the Tong carried out assaults, threats of violence, intimidation, extortion and engaged in murder, drug trafficking, sale of stolen goods and firearms.
The indictment alleged that in 2006 Chow in order to collect a debt caused the murder of Allen Leung and between 2011 and 2013 conspired to murder Jim Tat Kong.
Chow, 55, has a long criminal history and is listed as the “dragonhead” or leader of the San Francisco Chee Kung Tong.
The FBI alleged that from 20011 to 2013, Chow and others laundered $2.3 million in allegedly illegal funds.
Case: U.S. v. Chow, No. 14-cr-196
TrialInsider.com 