Other names Shrimp Boy Name Raymond Boy" | Occupation Former Triad member | |
Full Name Chow Kwok-cheung Conviction(s) Robbery, aggravated assault, illegal possession of firearms, racketeering. | ||
Raymond Chow Kwok-cheung (traditional Chinese: 周國祥; simplified Chinese: 周国祥; pinyin: Zhou Guoxiang; Jyutping: zau1 gwok3 coeng4); born 1960, nicknamed "Shrimp Boy", is a Hong Kong-born ex-felon with ties to a San Francisco Chinatown street gang and an organized crime syndicate, including the American branch of the Hong Kong-based triad Wo Hop To and the Hop Sing Song Boys.
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In 2006, Chow became the leader of the Ghee Kung Tong, a Chinese fraternal association based in San Francisco, California. In 2014, Chow along with 28 other defendants including former California State Senator Leland Yee, were indicted for racketeering, money laundering, and a host of other alleged criminal activities. Leland Yee pled guilty to racketeering in July 2015 for conspiring with his campaign fundraiser to defeat donation limits through money laundering. Despite initial press releases, Chow was not indicted in a racketeering conspiracy with Leland Yee. Chow was indicted in a racketeering conspiracy which alleged that he oversaw a criminal faction of the Ghee Kung Tong. Chow is the only co-defendant of 29 to publicly profess his innocence and ask for an expedited jury trial. He is scheduled for trial in November 2015.
Personal life
Chow was born in 1960 in Hong Kong. He is of Taishanese descent, and has four brothers. On the program Gangland, Chow said he first joined a gang in his native Hong Kong when he was nine years old. Chow came to the United States at the age of 16, and was reportedly nicknamed "Shrimp Boy" by his grandmother, due to his small stature. He dropped out of high school and became involved with the Hop Sing Song gang.
As of 2015 Shrimp Boy was awaiting trial in San Francisco County Jail No. 4. He has lived with Alicia Lo, her 11-year-old daughter, and two dogs, since they met in 2008. He has publicly renounced his former criminal life since 2008. Lo, a U.C. Berkeley graduate, does not share Shrimp Boy's criminal background. According to her, she has gradually introduced Shrimp Boy to mainstream American culture.
Criminal activities
Chow's first conviction was in 1978, for robbery in Chinatown, San Francisco. Chow received an 11-year sentence, of which he served 7 years and 4 months. He was released in 1985. In 1986, Chow was charged with 28 counts of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted murder, mayhem, and illegal possession of a firearm. He served three years in prison and was released in 1989. In 1992 Chow was arrested for racketeering, later separated into two separate trials. The first was for illegal gun sales and the second was for prostitution, drugs and money laundering. Convicted in 1995, Chow was sentenced to 24 years. When Peter Chong was captured, Chow became an informant, turned informer on his old boss, testifying against him in exchange for a reduced sentence. He was released from prison in 2003. In 1996, Chow was tried again for racketeering, but the indictment was dismissed.
Activities after release
As a condition of his release, Chow surrendered his visa. He requested witness protection but his request was denied by the prosecuting attorney. Chow is required to wear a tracking device. Raymond Chow is currently a member of Hung Moon Ghee Kong Tong, a fraternal association in San Francisco sometimes referred to as the Chinese Freemasons.
2014 arrest
On March 26, 2014, Raymond Chow was arrested during an FBI raid in connection with an investigation into official corruption by State Senator Leland Yee. Chow faces charges of money laundering and conspiracy to deal stolen property. He is accused of operating the Ghee Kung Tong, a Chinese American community organization, as a racketeering enterprise that trafficked in drugs, weapons, and stolen items. Federal authorities allege Chow's reformation was a facade. In April 2014, trial lawyer Tony Serra joined Chow's defense team.
Chow is charged with seven counts of money laundering, two counts of conspiring to transport and receive stolen liquor, and one count of conspiracy to traffic untaxed cigarettes. Chow faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment for each money laundering count.
On July 7, 2015, Chow declined to take a plea deal from prosecutors on the racketeering charges. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer scheduled the trial for Chow on November 2.
Connection to murders
On October 15, 2015, Chow was charged with conspiracy to murder in connections with the deaths of two men: Allen Leung, who was shot to death by a masked intruder inside his San Francisco import-export business in February 2006, and Jim Tat Kong, a member of the Hop Sing Tong gang in San Francisco, who was fatally shot in Mendocino County in October 2013. Kong, along with his wife, were found dead from gunshot wounds in their minivan near Fort Bragg. Chow has not been charged with Kong's wife's death.