Date: May 6, 2022 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Alexandria, VA — A federal jury convicted four defendants on numerous charges relating to a murder, a violent gang enterprise, and a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in Virginia, California, and several other states. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Peter Le of Dunn Loring, Young Yoo of Centreville, Joseph Lamborn of California, and Tony Le of California, were members of a violent Northern Virginia Street gang called the Reccless Tigers, which was affiliated with a California gang called the West Side Asian Boyz. The gang, which originated in Centerville in 2011, distributed thousands of pounds of marijuana as well as other THC products, cocaine, ecstasy, and prescription drugs. Many of the gang's customers were middle and high school students in Northern Virginia and college students at a number of Virginia universities. According to court records, victim Brandon White, owed Yoo approximately $10,000 for marijuana he had obtained from Yoo. In August 2018, White was severely beaten by a Reccless Tigers gang member, David Nguyen, because of this debt. Nguyen was arrested by Fairfax County Police and charged with robbery and malicious wounding. The gang was aware that White had been subpoenaed to testify against Nguyen at a preliminary hearing and attempted to pay him if he would refuse to testify. White was threatened that he would be killed if he testified. White refused the gang's offer, and he testified against Nguyen on Nov. 19, 2018. On Jan. 31, 2019, and continuing into the early morning hours of February 1, 2019, White was abducted at a shopping mall in Fairfax County and then killed two hours later in a wooded area of Richmond by Peter Le, Yoo, and Lamborn. The evidence at trial indicated that the gang also engaged in persistent pattern of intimidation and retaliation against individuals who did not pay their drug debts and anyone who were believed to have cooperated with law enforcement. Homes in Fairfax, Stafford, and Prince William counties were attacked with Molotov cocktails and vandalized on numerous occasions, forcing homeowners in some instances to move. Peter Le was convicted of conspiracy to engage in racketeering, narcotics trafficking and related narcotics offenses, kidnapping, murder, and money laundering. Lamborn was convicted of conspiracy to engage in racketeering, narcotics trafficking, kidnapping, and murder. Yoo was convicted of conspiracy to engage in racketeering, narcotics trafficking, kidnapping, and murder. Tony Le was convicted of conspiracy to engage in racketeering and narcotics trafficking. Peter Le, Young Yoo, and Joseph Lamborn face mandatory life sentences when sentenced on September 9. Tony Le faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment when he is sentenced of September 9. As demonstrated in the table below, 24 other persons have been charged in connection with the investigation of the Reccless Tigers. Sixteen defendants have pleaded guilty to federal charges and have been sentenced. Nine defendants, five who pleaded guilty earlier in addition to the four convicted today, are pending sentencing. Three defendants are fugitives. Name Conviction(s) Result Peter Le* Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder; Conspiracy to engage in kidnapping; Kidnapping resulting in death; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Killing while engaged in drug trafficking; Maintaining a drug-involved premises; Distribution of marijuana and cocaine; Use, carry, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime; Money laundering. Faces mandatory life imprisonment on September 9, 2022 Young Yoo* Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder; Conspiracy to engage in kidnapping; Kidnapping resulting in death; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, Killing while engaged in drug trafficking. Faces mandatory life imprisonment on September 9, 2022 Joseph Duk-Hyun Lamborn* Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Violent crimes in aid of racketeering murder; Conspiracy to engage in kidnapping; Kidnapping resulting in death; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Killing while engaged in drug trafficking; Firearms murder. Faces mandatory life imprisonment on September 9, 2022 Tony Minh Le* Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life on September 9, 2022 Kevin Aagesen Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity. Sentenced to 188 months Sascha Amadeus Carlisle Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Conspiracy to engage in kidnapping; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years on July 29, 2022 Abdullah Abdow Sayf Conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity; Use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Sentenced to 180 months Fahad Abdulkadir Conspiracy to commit kidnapping in aid of racketeering activity; Possession with the intent to distribute 50 kilograms or less of marijuana; Use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Sentenced to 192 months David Thai Hoang Nguyen Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Sentenced to 171 months Kyu Wa Hong Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Sentenced to 216 months Sang Thanh Huynh Conspiracy to participate in the affairs of an enterprise engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity; Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Money laundering; Felon in possession of a firearm. Scheduled to be sentenced on July 22, 2022 Soung Park Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Sentenced to 132 months Tasneef Amhed Chowdhury Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Sentenced to 121 months Joshua Andrew Miliaresis Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years at a future sentencing hearing Tyler Thang Le Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Sentenced to 135 months Dane Nicholas Hughes Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years at a future sentencing hearing Bradley Sullivan Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years at a future sentencing hearing Richard Pak Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Distribution of cocaine; Use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years at a future sentencing hearing Spencer Pak Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances; Distribution of cocaine; Use and carry of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Sentenced to 120 months Tyler Pranompi Sonesamay Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Sentenced to 120 months Khalil Yasin Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances Sentenced to 97 months Anthony Nguyen Thanh Le Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution of cocaine Sentenced to 92 months Angel Hoang Le Maintaining a drug-involved premises Sentenced to 42 months Zu Hun Chang Possession with the intent to distribute cocaine Sentenced to 42 months Brandon Sobotta Distribution of cocaine Sentenced to time served (about 7 months) * convicted today This was a multi-jurisdictional OCDETF case involving the IRS-CI, FBI Washington Field Office, ATF, HSI, U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Fairfax County Police Department, Prince William County Police Department, City of Richmond Police, Montgomery County (MD) Police, Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, Falls Church Police, City of Alexandria Sheriff's Office, Richmond County Sheriff's Office, Fairfax County Sheriff's Office, Fairfax County Fire Marshal, Prince William County Fire Marshal, Stafford County Fire Marshal, City of Monterey Park (CA) Police, Garden Grove (CA) Police, Anaheim (CA) Police; Trinity County (CA) Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol, DEA San Francisco Division – Reading Office, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, California Department of Food & Agriculture, California Department of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Cannabis Control, U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of California – Sacramento Office, U.S. Attorney's Office Central District of California – Santa Ana and Riverside Offices, and the FBI's Field Offices in Richmond, Los Angeles, and Sacramento. Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF's Washington Field Division; Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Liam O'Grady accepted the verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys James L. Trump, Carina A. Cuellar, and Ryan Bredemeier prosecuted the case.
