Five more criminals have caved under the weight of the sprawling Shrimp Boy indictment, pleading guilty to moving dirty cash, smuggling untaxed cigarettes, and trafficking stolen cognac. Gary Kwong Yiu Chen, Anthony John Lai, and Xiu Ying Ling “Elaine” Liang admitted to laundering over $635,000 from drug sales; Tong Zao Zhang copped to moving 10,000 untaxed Marlboros; and Bryan Tilton admitted conspiring to buy stolen Hennessy XO—each feeding the criminal machine once run by Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow.
Chen and Lai, both of San Francisco, admitted their roles in eight separate financial transactions from October to December 2013, designed to hide profits from drug trafficking and move illicit funds from the East Coast to the West. The pair each pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering under 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(1)(A)(i), acknowledging the transactions were meant to promote further criminal activity and evade law enforcement scrutiny.
Elaine Liang, also of San Francisco, pleaded guilty without a written agreement to one count of money laundering for arranging transactions executed by Chen and Lai. Her role tied directly into the web of financial deception that kept the organization’s cash flow hidden and operational, further exposing the depth of money laundering tied to the Chinatown-based syndicate.
Tong Zao Zhang, of Brooklyn, N.Y., admitted in court that in July 2013 he knowingly received more than 10,000 contraband Marlboro cigarettes—none stamped with proof of New York state tax payment. He transported and delivered them for resale, dodging approximately $292,500 in taxes. Charged via a Superseding Information on January 3, 2017, Zhang pleaded guilty to one count under 18 U.S.C. § 2342(a) and 2344.
Bryan Tilton, another San Francisco resident, admitted to conspiring between December 2011 and March 2013 to buy stolen Hennessy XO cognac with Chow and George Nieh. On March 9, 2012, Tilton met with an undercover FBI agent, handed over a purple bag with $30,000 in cash, tested a sample of the liquor, and arranged for pickup. He later delivered $5,000 to Chow for his role—proof of the deep, brazen corruption embedded in the operation. Tilton pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 371.
All five were originally named in the April 3, 2014, indictment that culminated in the January 8, 2016, conviction of Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow on 162 counts, including racketeering, murder, money laundering, and conspiracy to kill rivals Allen Leung and Jim Tat Kong. The guilty pleas this week, accepted by U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer, mark another crack in the foundation of one of San Francisco’s most violent and entrenched criminal enterprises.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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