| To Charge
Zhao As Launderer US DEA Did Its Own
Transactions Now Kung Pleads, 33 Months
By Matthew
Russell Lee, Patreon
SDNY COURTHOUSE,
Jan 31 – Chaoyue Zhao and
Brian Kung were charged with
money
laundering.
On September 20 U.S. District
Court for the Southern
District of New York Judge
Lewis J. Liman held a
proceeding. Inner City Press
covered it.
Earlier in the
year the US Attorney's Office
said "this is a case in which
the DEA obtained what is
called Attorney General exempt
authorization to actually
conduct certain
money-laundering transactions
to develop evidence... Many of
the bank accounts were located
in New York."
Judge Liman
set the case down for trial in
April 2022.
On July 8, the US
Attorney's Office wrote in to
say Zhao will plead guilty on
July 19, and Kung is in
negotiations.
Zhao did in fact
plead guilty on July 19, with
sentencing set for November.
And when it happened, he got
48 months: "JUDGMENT IN A
CRIMINAL CASE as to Chaoyue
Zhao (1). THE DEFENDANT:
pleaded guilty to count 1 of
the Indictment. All remaining
open counts are dismissed on
the motion of the United
States. IMPRISONMENT:
Forty-Eight (48) months
imprisonment. The court makes
the following recommendations
to the Bureau of Prisons: That
the defendant be housed at a
facility in or as close as
possible to New York City. The
defendant shall surrender for
service of sentence at the
institution designated by the
Bureau of Prisons: before 2
p.m. on 3/6/2023. SUPERVISED
RELEASE: Three (3) years
Supervised Release.
ASSESSMENT: $100.00 due
immediately. (Signed by Judge
Lewis J. Liman on 11/2/2022)."
On January 31,
2022 Inner City Press was
covering the SDNY Magistrates
Court when co-defendant Brian
Kung was brought in. He was
wearing an MSA Spartans
sweatshirt and was assigned
the CJA lawyer on duty, who
had just consented to a man on
methadone's detention.
On August 11, the
trial was pushed back into
2023: "MEMO ENDORSEMENT as to
Brian Kung (2) granting [61]
LETTER MOTION addressed to
Judge Lewis J. Liman from USA
dated August 10, 2022 re:
Adjournment of Trial Date and
Motions Schedule. ENDORSEMENT:
REQUEST GRANTED. The Jury
Trial previously set for
September 12, 2022 is
RESCHEDULED to January 30,
2023 at 9:00AM in Courtroom
15C."
On January
31, 2023, Kung appeared before
Judge Liman to plead guilty.
Inner City Press was there.
Kung had gotten a plea deal
with a stipulated guildelines
range of 27 to 33 months. He
described cash from North
Carolina, narcotics proceeds.
Sentencing is set for May 16
at 11 am.
It is US v. Zhao,
et al., 20-cr-129 (Liman)
***
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