Wen Bing Lei Charged in 2006 Chinatown Murder

Las Vegas resident Wen Bing Lei, aka Raymond Lei, aka Black Raymond, aka Skinny Raymond, has been indicted on federal charges for the 2006 murder of Chinatown leader Allen Leung—a hit tied to a decades-old criminal enterprise rooted in San Francisco’s underworld. The 50-year-old is accused of conspiring with members of the Chee Kung Tong (CKT) to carry out the killing in a bid to climb the ranks of the secretive and violent Chinese-American association.

Federal prosecutors allege Lei aided, abetted, and caused the death of Leung, a former leader within the CKT, on February 27, 2006. The murder, authorities say, was not a random act of violence but a calculated move within the organization’s internal power structure. According to the indictment, one of the purposes of the murder was to secure Lei’s entrance into the CKT and boost his standing among its members.

The Chee Kung Tong, formed in the late 1800s as a civic group in San Francisco’s Chinatown, has evolved into a dual-nature organization, the indictment claims. While some members engage in legal community activities, others have allegedly plunged into a criminal empire involving narcotics distribution, extortion, robbery, money laundering, illegal firearms, and murder for hire. Violence, including assassination and intimidation, has been used to protect and expand the group’s illicit operations.

Lei is charged with one count of murder in aid of racketeering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(1)—a federal statute reserved for killings connected to organized crime. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison if convicted. Prosecutors emphasize that the case is not just about a single murder, but about dismantling a network that has operated with impunity for years under the guise of cultural tradition.

Currently in custody of the Bureau of Prisons on unrelated charges, Lei will be transported to the Northern District of California for his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim on January 31, 2017. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Frentzen is leading the prosecution, with support from Bridget Kilkenny. The case stems from a long-term FBI investigation into CKT’s criminal activities.

An indictment is not a conviction. Wen Bing Lei is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Still, law enforcement officials say this case marks a significant strike against entrenched organized crime in one of the nation’s oldest Chinatowns. The FBI continues to investigate additional leads tied to the CKT’s alleged criminal enterprise.

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