6 plead guilty in S.F. organized crime case

Six defendants in the sweeping criminal prosecution of Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow, part of a public corruption and organized crime investigation that ensnared a once-prominent Democratic politician, pleaded guilty this week, prosecutors said.

In a San Francisco courtroom before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, the defendants entered their pleas to some of the charges filed against them in an indictment that alleged gunrunning, a rampant pay-forplay political culture, money laundering, drug trafficking and more.

None of the six admitted racketeering, a count on which former state Sen. Leland Yee, one of the many caught in the wide-ranging federal inquiry, pleaded guilty in July.

Chow, the so-called dragonhead of a Chinatown fraternal organization who has served time in prison on armed robbery, assault and prostitution-related charges, did not change his plea of not guilty.

Aside from the racketeering charge, George Nieh pleaded guilty Wednesday to every count against him, including 146 counts of money laundering and a slew of weapons and drug charges. Leslie Yun pleaded guilty to five counts of money laundering and drug-related charges.

Kevin Siu pleaded guilty to eight of the 24 money laundering counts against him, and Alan Chiu pleaded guilty to 13 of 36 money laundering charges.

Yat Wa Pau pleaded guilty to trafficking in contraband cigarettes and admitted his involvement in sales of contraband cigarettes worth more than $300,000.

Andy Li pleaded guilty to felony possession of a firearm, along with money laundering and marijuana possession.

The guilty pleas could delay a trial for the six defendants, Chow, and another defendant, Kongphet Chanthavong. The trial is set to start Nov. 2.

In a hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Breyer is to consider whether to postpone the trial.

Chow was the initial target of an FBI investigation that led to the indictment of 29 people. Since the case was filed, one defendant has died. Yee faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced by Breyer on Oct. 21.