Leader Of 'Violent' NYC Gang Gets 9 Years In Prison

SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN — The leader of a "violent" gang that operated in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Flushing, Queens, was sentenced to nine years in prison on Tuesday, federal prosecutors said.

In addition to the prison sentence, the gang leader, Qian Zheng (also known as "Cash") will pay $30,550 in restitution, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Zheng was at the helm of the Zheng Organization, which for more than 8 years "engaged in violent assaults, extortions and drug distribution," prosecutors said. In January, he pled guilty to charges that he and other members of the group "conducted and participated in the affairs of the Zheng Organization through a pattern of racketeering activity."

"Qian Zheng was the leader of a criminal enterprise responsible for a variety of rackets including the repeated use of violence to collect extortionate debts," Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Bridget M. Rohde said in a statement.

"His conviction, and the convictions of other members and associates of his criminal organization, reflects the strong commitment of this Office, along with our partners in law enforcement, to dismantling organized crime groups that spread fear throughout communities of this District."

SEE ALSO: Feds Take Down Asian Gang That Cast 'Shadow of Violence' Over Brooklyn

The U.S. Attorney's Office gave some examples of the gang's acts of violence and extortion:

• In August 2013, a woman hired Zheng, who ordered his "underlings" to attack her ex-boyfriend and his wife. Zheng told the members to "beat him every time he is seen" and to "break his leg" and "scar the
  woman’s face."
• Later that year, the gang allegedly hired two individuals to beat a target and fire gunshots into another target's restaurant so he would pay an alleged debt. (The target called the police before any damage was done.)
• In 2014, member Guifu Gao, known as "Chicken Feather," along with Zheng hired more hitmen "to cripple the victim and make him handicapped."
• A year later, Zheng told several of his gang members to "extort" the owner of a gambling parlor. They "went to the victim’s parlor, surrounded him and demanded money and "when the victim explained that he did not owe any money, Lin, Huang and Gao beat him with 3 their fists and wooden stools."

In addition to the violent acts, the gang sold ketamine and MDMA and ran an "illegal high-stakes gambling parlor."

"The subjects in this case terrorized a community with their criminal enterprise and violent tactics," FBI Assistant Director-in-ChargeWilliam F. Sweeney, Jr. said in a statement. "No one should dread leaving their homes, and going about their daily lives in fear of being harassed or brutally beaten by criminals who believed stealing is easier than making an honest living. The FBI’s goal has been and always will be to stop these groups from developing and maintaining a stranglehold on local communities."

Image via U.S. Attorney's Office