Jury Convicts Men for Gang-Related Multistate Drug Trafficking Ring and Murder

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, 24, of Dunn Loring, Young Yoo, 26, of Centreville, Joseph Lamborn, 28, of California, and Tony Le, 28, also 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 FBI Washington Field Office, ATF, HSI, IRS, 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.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:19-cr-57.

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