American Gangsters
Page 97
For those in law enforcement and elsewhere who cared to notice, the successful prosecution of the Born to Kill gang was not the end.
It was only the beginning.
Sources
The following is a partial list of books that contained information and insights that were helpful, if not instrumental, in the writing of Born to Kill.
Of the dozens of books published on the subject of the Vietnam War, Stanley Karnow’s Vietnam: A History (New York: Viking Press, 1983) is still the most comprehensive. Neil Sheehan’s A Bright Shining Lie (New York: Random House, 1988) provides unparalleled insights into the American military mind-set that created and sustained the war. Also helpful was The Vietnam Wars: 1945-1990 (New York: HarperCollins, 1991) by Marilyn B. Young.
On the subject of life in Southeast Asia during the tumultuous years of the war, there are few testaments more moving than Haing Ngor’s A Cambodian Odyssey (New York: Macmillan, 1987), which details the author’s experiences in Cambodia during the horrendous reign of the Khmer Rouge. Le Ly Hayslip’s When Heaven and Earth Changed Place (New York: Doubleday, 1989) is the autobiographical account of a woman’s coming-of-age in Vietnam during some of the worst years of the war. John Balaban’s Remembering Heaven’s Face (New York: Poseidon Press, 1991) is a different kind of memoir, written by a poet and conscientious objector who lived in Saigon in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
On the subject of Vietnam in the years after the U.S. evacuation, two very different books were helpful: Duong Thu Huong’s Paradise of the Blind (New York: William Morrow, 1993), a novel that beautifully evokes the colors, sounds, and textures of Vietnamese culture, and Neil Sheehan’s After the War Was Over (New York: Random House, 1992), a telling examination of, among other things, the political failures of Vietnam’s postwar government.
Not much has been published in the United States on the subject of the refugee camps, although Ban Vinai: The Refugee Camp (New York: Columbia University Press, 1993), by Lynellyn D. Long, is an excellent source of information, particularly on the camps in Thailand.
The Asian experience in America has been the subject of numerous books, including a poignant memoir by Nguyen Qui Duc titled Where the Ashes Are: The Odyssey of a Vietnamese Family (New York: Addison-Wesley, 1994). Ronald Takaki’s Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans (New York: Little, Brown, 1989) provides an informative overview of Asian immigration. Le Ly Hayslip’s Child of War, Woman of Peace (New York: Doubleday, 1993) continues where her first book left off by recounting the author’s years as a Vietnamese refugee trying to adjust to life in America.
Two works of fiction by Robert Olen Butler were especially inspiring, both for their insights into the Vietnamese experience in America and the exquisite quality of the writing: A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain (New York: Henry Holt, 1992), a collection of short stories, each narrated in the voice of a different Vietnamese refugee living in the United States, and The Deuce (New York: Henry Holt, 1989), a fictional account of an Amerasian teenager living on the streets of New York City.
Considering that the Chinatowns of America have been around for more than a century, not many books have been published on the subject. However, two recent books—The New Chinatown (New York: Noonday Press, 1987), by Peter Kwong, and Chinatown: Portrait of a Closed Society (New York: HarperCollins, 1992), by Gwen Kinkead—examine the social and historical forces that have shaped the “Gilded Ghetto.”
The subject of Asian organized crime is one that will no doubt be receiving more attention in the years ahead. Of the books already published, Herbert Asbury’s venerable The Gangs of New York (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927) contains a chapter on Chinatown’s early tong wars. Gerald Posner’s Warlords of Crime (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988) gives a broad overview of Asian organized crime, focusing mostly on the heroin trade. Nightmare: Vietnamese Home Invasion Robberies (Falls Church, Va.: International Association of Asian Crime Investigators, 1992), by Phil Hannum, is a case-by-case look at an especially brutal form of criminal activity. Chinese Subculture and Criminality (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1990), by Kolin Chin, is a small gem—the most detailed study to date on the sprawling subject of triads, tongs, and Asian gang culture in the United States.
Index
ABCs, 77, 78
Agent Orange, 18
AK&Y Laundromat, 255–256
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Bureau of (ATF):
emerging crime groups handled by, 166, 252
history of, 164–166
Jersey City gun-trafficking case of, 131–132, 133, 160
Major Case Squad liaison with, 131–132, 138–142, 160; see also ATF/NYPD joint investigation
Manhattan offices of, 160
other Justice Department divisions vs., 164–166, 217
Prohibition activities of, 165
surveillance efforts by, 184, 187
training program for, 217–218, 223
Amigo, see Vu, Vinh
Amon, Carol, 276, 287
Andy (BTK member), 15, 42–43
Anh hai, see Thai, Tho Hoang
Asian organized crime:
congressional hearings on, 53
federal RICO prosecutions of, 190–192, 208, 232, 233, 267, 272, 276, 279, 289–290
heroin-distribution network run by, 191–192, 289
Mafia connections to, 252–253
media coverage on, 285–289
refugees smuggled by, 288–289
Asian Shopping Mall, 31–32
Asian youth gangs:
climate of violence created by, 192–193
information network on, 101
Jade Squad surveillance of, 60–64
as prison inmates, 66
tongs affiliated with, 51–53, 69–71, 232, 290
see also Vietnamese youth gangs; specific gangs
ATF, see Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Bureau of
ATF/NYPD joint investigation:
agent in charge of, 160, 216
arrests made in, 187–188, 250–251, 254, 264, 266–271
bombing attempt thwarted by, 245–252
of Bridgeport operations, 213–214
conclusion of, 252, 254, 259, 260–261, 264, 267, 271–273
confidential informant for, 120–124, 129, 131, 138–144, 154–163, 167–168, 173–179, 180–181, 186–188, 190, 193, 228, 234–237, 240, 242–247, 251, 252, 253, 260, 264, 275–278
detectives assigned to, 160, 215–218
ATF/NYPD joint investigation (cont.)
of Doraville robbery, 166–167, 202, 203–209
evidence in, 190, 193, 208–209, 213–214, 215, 233–236, 242, 243–244, 252, 271–273, 276–277, 279–280
FBI investigation of Green Dragons and, 231–234
hidden recording device used for, 173–179, 180, 181, 193, 234–235, 242–244
interrogations for, 120–124, 222–223, 250–252
Mafia and, 244, 252–253, 259–260
Manhattan headquarters of, 160, 260, 271–272
personnel difficulties of, 183, 215–216, 267
press coverage of, 233, 274
risks involved in, 248–249, 260–261
robberies thwarted by, 181–190, 193–195, 223–227, 253–260
surveillance in, 173, 175, 184, 187, 244–245, 254–259, 267
witness protection and, 187–189, 201, 202–203, 228, 260–261, 262
Badey, James, 101
Bang Kok Health Spa, 93–95, 213
beepers, 67–68
Binh Xuyen, 35
Black Eagles, 60
Blackeyes, see Tran, Tuan
Black Hand, 54
Black Phu (BTK member), 98, 104, 105, 149
Blauser, Jeff, 210
Bloods, 76, 230
boat people, 20, 99, 220
bombing attempt, government prevention of, 245–252, 253
Borelli, Joseph, 86–87
Born to Kill (BTK):
anarchistic behavior of, 231
/> arrests of, 62, 65, 116–117, 130, 136, 170, 187–189, 208, 249–250, 251, 254, 264, 266–271, 281, 282
atmosphere of street-level brutality created by, 192–193
beepers carried by, 67–68
bombs constructed by, 33–34, 158, 245–246, 250, 251–252, 269
bulletproof vests acquired by, 63–64
Canal Street control ceded to, 114
Chinatown gang-violence summit and, 85, 86, 89, 290
Chinatown status quo challenged by, 52, 53, 58–59, 70–71, 73
clothing worn by, 1, 40
Connecticut operations of, 91, 93–97, 213–214
Cosa Nostra vs., 54
dai lows of, 28, 40, 42, 44, 66, 135, 168, 170
evidence compiled against, 190, 193, 208–209, 213–214, 215, 233–236, 242, 243–244, 252, 271–273, 276–277, 279–280
extortion money collected by, 114, 118, 153, 234–235, 242, 251, 277
false names given by, 185, 242–243
first official meeting of, 39–43, 239
funeral gun battle and, 1–8, 71–74, 80, 89, 172, 191, 277
Georgia-based activities of, 101–113
getaway cars used by, 149–150
government witnesses against, 272–273, 277–278, 285–286
growth of, 58
hierarchy within, 17
imprisoned members of, 65–67, 225, 243
internal disciplinary actions in, 43–45, 168, 170–172, 214
intimidation tactics used by, 118–119, 125
Italians in collaboration with, 244, 252–253, 256–260
Jade Squad surveillance on, 61–64
joint task-force operation on, see ATF/NYPD joint investigation
law-enforcement raids on, 181–190, 266–271
leader of, see Thai, Tho Hoang
locus of operations expanded for, 90–91, 226
membership agreement of, 42–43, 142
membership rules of, 42
name chosen for, 40, 41, 92, 201, 280
national/international range of, 5, 130–131
non-Vietnamese members of, 171–172
official history of, 199
official induction into, 28–29
police informant on, 120–124, 129, 131, 138–144, 154–163, 167–168, 173–179, 180–181, 186–188, 190, 193, 228, 234–237, 240, 242–247, 251, 252, 253, 260, 264, 275–278
police van bombed by, 33–34, 39, 47, 59, 225
press coverage of, 75, 89, 251, 285–287
primacy of gang affiliation in, 9, 76, 263–264, 279–280
refugee backgrounds in, 9, 16, 19–23, 36–37, 38–39, 92, 99, 210
restaurant bombing attempted by, 245–252
retribution shootings and, 79–80, 86
RICO prosecution of, 190–191, 208, 267, 272, 276, 279
robbery operations of, see robberies robbery proceeds skimmed by, 44–45
safe houses used by, 54, 56–57, 157, 168, 224, 254, 255, 269
sentences of, 291
size of, 58, 114
as support system, 9, 76, 262–264, 279–280 trial of, 276–281, 285–286, 287
in turf conflicts, 46–48, 53, 57–59, 61–62, 113–114, 290
underworld reputation of, 131
war experience and, 5, 8, 9, 17, 34–36, 91–92, 280
weapon supplies of, 106, 131, 133, 185–186, 187, 188, 190, 202, 209, 269
Bridgeport, Conn., BTK activities in, 91, 93–97, 213–214
Buddhism, 73
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, see Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Bureau of
Bush, George, 52, 165
Cambodia, Khmer Rouge labor camps in, 206
Camp Pendleton, 219
Canada, BTK activities in, 130
Canal Boys, 3, 4, 39, 41, 243
Canal Street:
BTK extortions on, 114, 118, 134–135, 153, 234–235, 277
counterfeit watches sold on, 31
turf-related shootings on, 46–48, 53
Capone, Al, 165
“Carrying the Vietnamese Blood” (Thai), 274
Carter Hotel, 43–44
CCBA, see Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
Central American immigrants, youth gangs of, 230
Chan, Ying, 289
Chan Tse-Chiu (Eddie Chan), 83–85, 133
Chattanooga, Tenn., BTK robbery in, 106, 202
Chicano gangs, 230
Chinatown:
BTK funeral procession through, 2–3
Chinese youth gangs in, 37–38;
see also Flying Dragons; Ghost Shadows; United Bamboo
commercial prosperity of, 48, 50
community leaders at gang violence discussion on, 80–83, 85–89, 290
elders of, 81–82
gangs driven by profit motive in, 230–231
heroin distribution and, 52, 192
illegal labor force in, 82
ineffectiveness of police protection in, 153–154
insular community structure of, 49–50
Little Italy diminished by, 252
New Year’s traditions in, 114–115
police relationships in, 3, 59, 60, 273
population shift in, 49
Queens branch of, 232
restaurant bombings in, 245–252
tong control in, 50–51
Vietnamese status in, 37, 38, 54
see also Canal Street
China White, 52, 53, 191
Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA), 69, 80, 81–82, 85–86, 113, 114
Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), 50
Chinese gangs:
racketeering prosecutions against, 37–38, 289–290
Vietnamese unit of, 37
see also tongs; specific gangs
Chinese immigrants:
historical discrimination against, 50
smuggling operations for, 82, 288–289
Chinese mafia:
congressional hearings on, 53
see also Asian organized crime
Chung, Chen I., 232
CNN, 288–289
cocaine industry, 52
colors, gang, 230
computer chips, heist of, 222, 223
confidential informants (C.I.s), agent attitudes toward, 161, 236–237
Cosa Nostra, 54, 76, 166, 244, 286
crack, 55–56
Crips, 76, 229–230
dai low(s), BTK:
of Asians at Rikers Island, 66
defined, 28
for gang districts, 40, 135
heists authorized by, 42, 168
replacements chosen for, 135, 170
robbery-proceeds distribution controlled by, 44
see also specific BTK dai lows
Daily News, 289
Dance of the Dragons, 115
Danny White Boy (BTK member), 149
DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration), 166, 217
de Duong, Cambao, 87–88
Dillinger, John, 98
Dinkins, David, 81
DiRosario, Michael, 259–260
Do, Minh (Fat Minh), 176, 177
betrayal accusation of, 197
extortion rounds made by, 235
law-enforcement raid and, 187–189 prosecution of, 276
Rochester robbery plans and, 185, 186, 197
Do, Tam Thanh (Son):
betrayal accusation of, 196
law-enforcement raid and, 187–189
Rochester robbery plans and, 185, 186
in tape of extortion demand, 234
at W.C. Produce robbery, 176–177
Donovan, James, 62–64
Doraville, jewelry-store robbery in, 103, 107–112
confidential information on, 162–163, 166–167
government investigation of, 202, 203–209
store owner shot in, 109–110, 112, 162, 163, 203, 206, 209, 278
Tinh Ngo’s guilt over, 113, 142
Downtown Express, 118–119
/>
drive-by shootings, 229, 231, 233
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 166, 217
drugs, drug trafficking, 229
federal law-enforcement policies on, 165–166, 217
heroin trade, 52, 191–192, 289
Eastern District of New York, United States District Attorney’s Office for:
Green Dragons case developed by, 233
RICO statutes used by, 190–191, 192
White Mare narcotics cases prosecuted by, 191–192
see also Vinegrad, Alan
EconoLodge, 184, 186, 187
Edwards, Cliff, 203–204, 207–208
E-5 Communications, 68
Eldorado Jewelry Store, 227
emerging crime groups, 166, 252
Eng, Kan Wah, 75
Eng, Sammy, 75
extortion, 114, 118, 134–135, 153, 234–235, 242, 251, 277
face, Asian concept of, 60
Fat Minh, see Do, Minh Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI):
ATF vs., 165, 217
Cosa Nostra investigations handled by, 166
Green Dragon case developed by, 232, 233
White Mare narcotics operation of, 191–192
Ferraro, Geraldine, 84
films, gangster wars depicted in, 72–73, 200
Five Dragons, 83
Floyd, Pretty Boy, 98
Flushing, Chinatown gang activity in, 232
Flying Dragons, 192
BTK conflicts with, 46–48, 53, 57–59, 62, 114, 130
Hip Sing tong allied with, 52, 70
newer gangs vs., 232
Pell Street area controlled by, 37
Vietnamese unit of, 37
Foochow Paul (Paul Wong), 232
Fort Chaffee, 219
Frogmen, 72
Fuk Ching, 62–63, 87, 288
Fukienese American Association, 87
Fukien Province, gang formed by immigrants from, 27
Gan, Ying Jing, 134, 135, 136–138, 147–148, 232
court testimony of, 277, 285–286
husband’s murder witnessed by, 153–154
marriage of, 124–128, 137–138
police negligence charged by, 153–154
gang colors, 230
gang violence:
city government/community summit meeting on, 80–83, 85–89
escalation of, 229, 230, 231, 232
press coverage of, 72, 89