Eight Indicted In Money Laundering Scheme Out Of Chinatown Restaurant

BOSTON — Eight people are being indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for their roles in a multi-million dollar money laundering scheme in Boston's Chinatown neighborhood, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said Friday.

The eight people were indicted after an investigation named Operation Good Fortune tracked down the owners of a restaurant in Chinatown and the others involved, indicting them on conspiracy to commit money laundering and unlicensed money transmitting, and one person is facing a drug charge.

Shi Rong Zhang, 48, of Windham, New Hampshire; Qiu Mei Zeng, 47, of Quincy; Vincent Feng, 32, of Quincy; Da Zeng, 30, of Massachusetts; Wei Qing Zeng, 58, of Quincy; Xian Rong Zeng, 45, of Hanover; and Qiu Fang Zeng, 59, of Windham, NH are all being indicted. Chengzou Liu, 36, of Braintree, was also indicted on conspiracy to commit money laundering as well as possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

It wasn't immediately clear if the eight had attorneys who could speak to the charges.

According to the charging documents, Qiu Mei Zeng and her former husband, Zhang, co-own China Gourmet, a restaurant in Chinatown. Zhang is also a registered owner of Wonderful Electronics, an electronics and restaurant supply business based in Hanover. Court documents claim that the defendants used these businesses to run a large-scale money laundering and money transmitting operation that involved the laundering of drug proceeds and proceeds from stolen and/or fraudulent gift cards to purchase and ship thousands of Apple products internationally.

"These defendants are alleged to have moved tens of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds as part of sophisticated money laundering and transmitting schemes operating out of seemingly lawful businesses that serve Massachusetts residents," said Rollins. "Without money, there is no drug trade. Laundering drug profits is fundamental to drug trafficking activity."

During a months-long wiretap investigation, Liu was identified as a marijuana trafficker who laundered his drug proceeds through Qiu Mei Zeng and Zhang's businesses. Court documents claim that Liu regularly delivered large amounts of bulk drug proceeds, typically in amounts greater than $30,000, to China Gourmet, and to Qiu Mei Zeng, who then laundered the money via electronic transfers.

In March 2022, investigators also seized over $250,000 of suspected marijuana proceeds being transported by Wei Qing Zeng from New York to China Gourmet in Boston, Rollins said. The cash was found inside Wei Qing Zeng's vehicle, hidden under packaged frozen meat products as it was on its way to be delivered to China Gourmet.

"Drug trafficking and money laundering go hand in hand, and this crew is accused of using their family-owned restaurant in Chinatown as a front for an elaborate, international money laundering scheme and money transmitting business in which they conducted tens of millions of dollars in off the books transactions to circumvent our country's laws, and hide the source of their income," said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Operation Good Fortune is just one example of how the FBI and our law enforcement partners work together to dismantle large-scale criminal enterprises."

The charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater. The charge of unlicensed money transmitting provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison.