SAN FRANCISCO –Federal prosecutors unsealed a criminal complaint today charging 26 defendants including a gang leader and a state senator, with firearms trafficking, money laundering, murder-for-hire, drug distribution, trafficking in contraband cigarettes, and honest services fraud.
Named in the complaint are Raymond “Shrimpboy” Chow, the current Dragonhead, or leader, of the San Francisco-based Chee Kung Tong organization or CKT, and 65-year-old State Senator Leland Yee, who represents San Mateo County and part of San Francisco County, according to the complaint.
FBI undercover agents infiltrated CKT and a pattern of racketeering was uncovered, according to the complaint.
The 137-page complaint states that an undercover agent told Chow and other defendants that the agent was interested in generating income from illegal schemes, officials stated.
The undercover agent was inducted into the CKT as a “Consultant.” Later, during the course of multiple undercover operations, the undercover agent was allegedly introduced to a number of the defendants in order to launder money, traffic narcotics, traffic in firearms, traffic purportedly stolen cigarettes and liquor, and engage in murder-for-hire schemes.
The complaint states that Chow also introduced Keith Jackson to the undercover agent. Jackson, the owner and operator of “Jackson Consultancy,” a San Francisco based consulting firm, is a “Consultant” to the CKT. Jackson and his son, Brandon Jackson, allegedly responded to a request for weapons by the undercover agent, by indicating that Brandon Jackson, and an associate would be able to accommodate his request.
Subsequently, authorities maintain that Jackson, Brandon Jackson, and Marlon Sullivan sold various types of firearms, and two ballistic vests, to the undercover agent.
Additionally, Jackson, Brandon Jackson, and Sullivan allegedly conspired to commit a purported murder for hire scheme requested by the undercover agent, in addition to other illegal activity, including the sale of stolen credit cards and the purported sale of cocaine to Jackson, Brandon Jackson, and Sullivan from the undercover agent.
Brandon Jackson introduced the undercover agent to Rinn Roeun, one of Brandon Jackson’s sources of supply for firearms. Roeun sold multiple firearms to the undercover agent and, during a series of conversations, told the undercover agent that he was willing to commit murder for a fee.
According to the Complaint, in addition to his relationship with Chow, and the CKT, Keith Jackson is also a close associate of Senator Leland Yee. From at least May 2011 through the present, Jackson has been involved in raising campaign funds for Yee.
Lee allegedly, over the course of 2012 and until the present, Yee and Keith Jackson allegedly raised money and campaign funds for Yee’s Secretary of State campaign by soliciting donations from FBI undercover agents in exchange for multiple official acts.
Also Yee and Jackson were involved in a conspiracy to traffic firearms, the complaint alleges.
Starting in May 2011 and lasting for several months, Jackson solicited an undercover agent with the FBI to make contributions to Yee’s San Francisco mayoral campaign, according to the criminal complaint.
These solicitations allegedly included asking the agent for donations in excess of the $500 individual donation limit. The agent declined to make any donations to Yee, but introduced Jackson and Yee to a purported business associate, another undercover FBI agent.
Jackson and Yee then solicited the second undercover FBI agent for campaign contributions. This solicitation resulted in at least one personal donation in the amount of $5,000 to Yee’s mayoral campaign.
After Yee lost the Nov. 8, 2011 election, he had at least $70,000 in debt from that campaign.
In order to retire the campaign debt, Yee and Jackson agreed that Yee would make a telephone call to a manager with the California Department of Public Health in support of a contract being considered with the second FBI agent’s purported client, the complaint states.
This would be done in exchange for $10,000, the complaint stated.
Yee allegedly made the call on October 18, 2012, and provided the letter on or about January 13, 2013.
On November 19, 2012, Jackson accepted the $10,000 cash donation. On August 2013, Jackson told the undercover agent that Yee had a contact who deals in arms trafficking.
Jackson told the undercover agent to provide a campaign donation on behalf of Yee so Yee can set up a meeting with the arms dealer to allow the undercover agent to buy a large number of weapons, the complaint states.
During a meeting with the undercover agent, Yee and Jackson allegedly discussed details of the specific types of weapons the undercover agent was interested in buying and importing.