Gwinnett Gang Leader Violently Extorted Local Businesses

ATLANTA, GA — The leader of a Gwinnett County-based gang has been sentenced to more than a decade in prison for shaking down local business owners for protection payments.

Eugene Chung pleaded guilty to two counts of interfering with commerce by extortion. He was sentenced to 10 years, six months in federal prison. Four other members of Chung's gang also were convicted of federal extortion offenses.

"Chung carefully cultivated his reputation for violence, and profited from that reputation by victimizing our Korean-American community," said U.S. Attorney John Horn. "He bragged that he and his associates were ‘professionals’ at extortion and that harming their victims was one more way to get people to pay. The community is safer now that he and his fellow gang members are off the streets."

Prosecutors say that Chung's gang specialized in the violent collection of debts from business owners in the Korean-American community. They also shook down businesses for protection payments, trafficked drugs and committed firearms and gambling-related offenses.

In July 2009, Chung and his crew visited a Korean restaurant and bar in Gwinnett and demanded a monthly share of the restaurant's profits in exchange for "protection." Chung threatened the owner with violence if he didn't pay and said his crew would harass his customers and employees and otherwise damage the restaurant.

Over the next few months, Chung and his crew strong-armed the victim into making monthly payments ranging from $400-$800. In December 2009, after the victim missed a payment, Chung and two other men showed up at the restaurant, assaulted the victim in one of its karaoke rooms and demanded payment.

Chung threatened to kill the owner if he did not pay, pulled out a semiautomatic pistol and pointed it at him. A crew member punched the owner in the face, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious.

Shortly afterward, the FBI opened an investigation and the victim resumed making protection payments under FBI surveillance.

In March 2010, the victim introduced an FBI undercover agent to Chung and crew members Athith Vorasith and Thomas Lee. The agent posed as a wealthy businessman and the restaurant owner's uncle, and said he was interested in buying large quantities of marijuana.

During a recorded meeting, Chung said he ran a marijuana distribution business and offered a menu of other illegal services, including gambling, extortion and debt collection services.

Chung offered to help the undercover agent if he ever needed money collected and said, "If you need us to beat up anybody, we're professionals at that." He added that he and his crew were "best at making people crippled" and said they could also make people "permanently limp, blind or deaf."

The agent told Chung he was owed $200,000 by a businessman in Houston, Texas, who was behind in payments. Chung offered to collect the debt. In July 2010, Chung and Lee had a series of recorded in-person meetings and telephone calls with the agent in which they planned to collect the debt from the businessman.

Chung said he was getting 20-30 guys ready for the job and said the businessman would be "sure to pay" because his crew was "really good at collecting money" and the businessman would be "scared." Chung accepted a $2,000 advance payment.

On July 21, 2010, Chung and his crew rode together with the agent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport where they believed the Texas businessman was catching a connecting flight. They approached the businessman, who was also an undercover agent, at a restaurant table in the airport's atrium and surrounded the table.

While being recorded, they ordered the supposed businessman to pay up and threatened to visit him and his wife at their home in Texas if he didn't. The "businessman" handed $5,000 and his Rolex watch to the other agent.

In September 2010, Chung left several recorded voice messages in which he threatened the businessman and his family. Chung eventually spoke with the businessman by telephone and reiterated those threats. A few days after that, Chung and Vorasith accepted a $1,000 payment for their efforts in attempting to collect the debt.

Chung, Choi, and Lee also sold drugs and guns to undercover agents throughout 2010 and 2011.

On September 17, 2013, a federal grand jury in Atlanta returned a 13-count indictment charging the defendants with extortion, drug trafficking, and firearms offenses. Each of the five defendants was convicted and sentenced (or is awaiting sentencing) as follows:

• Ye El (“David”) Choi, 33, of Norcross, pleaded guilty on February 13, 2015, via plea agreement, to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion. On June 16, 2017, Choi will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr.
• Athith (“Andy”) Vorasith, 36, of Auburn, pleaded guilty on February 4, 2016, via plea agreement, to two counts of interfering with commerce by extortion. On July 11, 2016, Vorasith was sentenced to seven years, three months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Vorasith was also ordered to pay restitution of $8,500 to the Gwinnett restaurant owner.
• Eugene Thomas Chung, 43, of Duluth, pleaded guilty on February 4, 2016, via plea agreement, to two counts of interfering with commerce by extortion. On May 19, 2017, Chung was sentenced to ten years, six months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Chung was also ordered to pay restitution of $8,500 to the restaurant owner.
• Thomas Jungwon (“Tommy”) Lee, 36, of Duluth, pleaded guilty on February 16, 2017, via plea agreement, to one count of interfering with commerce by extortion. On May 16, 2017, Lee was sentenced to a time-served sentence, which amounted to one year, ten months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, to include 160 hours of community service.
• Jong Sung (“John”) Kim, 52, of Suwanee, went to trial and was convicted by a jury on March 2, 2017, on two counts of interfering with commerce by extortion. Kim was acquitted on two other extortion counts, including a conspiracy count. Kim will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Batten on June 5, 2017.

"Mr. Chung counted on the silence of his many victims within the Korean community as he beat and extorted them," said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge at the FBI Atlanta Field Office. "This case, and sentencing of Mr. Chung to federal prison, came about from brave and informed community members who understood their rights and were willing to stand up for those rights by working with our federal agents and federal prosecutors in order to put a stop to Mr. Chung and his gang."

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John S. Ghose, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Scott Ferber, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine, and Emory Law School Extern Joshua E. Orlan.

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