Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Chinese waiter says bosses beat him Date: Sat, 31 Oct 92 14:00:15 EST Message-ID: \SE A;METROPOLITAN \HD Chinese waiter says bosses beat him \BY Margaret Rankin \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES A Chinese waiter hospitalized after a severe beating told police his Chinatown employers beat him and threatened to kill his wife and children if he didn't pay them $20,000. Sources say the victim's allegation is an indication that the kind of organized crime that plagues the Chinatown communities in New York and San Francisco also operates in the District. "We know that there is, within the Asian community [here], a certain amount of intimidation. They're extorted, and they're victims of crime which are often perpetrated by [people] . . . of their own race," said FBI spokesman Frank Scafidi, whose agency is working with Metropolitan Police and the Immigration and Naturalization Service on the case. The waiter, whom police did not identify, worked at the Szechuan Restaurant at 615 I St. NW. Mr. Scafidi said he was beaten inside the restaurant on Oct. 14 by a group of men, including restaurant owners Peter Ko, 30, Simon Chow, 36, and manager Sonny Chan, 37. He had been called to a meeting at the restaurant during which he was accused of stealing money, Mr. Scafidi said. Mr. Chan, Mr. Chow and Ko surrendered to police yesterday shortly before 10 a.m. Attorney Manuel Geraldo entered a "not guilty" plea for all three men at their arraignment yesterday afternoon in D.C. Superior Court. The court commissioner set bond for Ko and Mr. Chow at $5,000. He did so after prosecuting attorney John Beasley unsuccessfully argued they presented a danger to the defendant, citing Ko's 1990 New York conviction on felony drug charges. Mr. Chan, who had a 1987 cocaine conviction from Montgomery County, was held on an Immigration and Naturalization Service detainer pending possible deportation. Of the three, Mr. Chow is the only U.S. citizen. Sources involved in the case say they are looking for other men who participated in the beating and have information that could lead to their arrests. At the time of his beating, the defendants reportedly forced the victim to sign an admission to their accusations. They handcuffed him and kept him overnight in a storage area across the street at 612 I St. NW. The next day, sources said, the men took the victim home and made him promise to pay them $5,000 by Oct. 20. They said they would kill his wife and three children if he refused. The victim checked into a hospital Oct. 20 for treatment of injuries "consistent with a beating," a source said. A search warrant executed on restaurant property produced evidence consistent with the victims' story, said an investigator who interviewed the victim. "I didn't expect him to tell me anything. We know this kind of thing goes on in Chinatown, but I expected him to tell me he fell down a flight of stairs," the investigator said. "We hardly ever hear about anything like this. The Chinese community is real close-knit and they don't report anything. They just take care of their own." But at yesterday's hearing, Mr. Geraldo contended the story was fabricated by the waiter, who became angry after being fired. He also questioned the victim's five-day delay in seeking medical attention for his injuries. "There were no witnesses," he said, saying the charges were made by "one individual who had every reason in the world to be vindictive against these men." Until February, when well-known Chinatown restaurateur Tony Cheng sold Ko the Szechuan Restaurant, all three defendants and the victim reportedly worked together at various Chinatown restaurants owned by Mr. Cheng. Mr. Cheng is still the landlord at the Szechuan Restaurant, and his employees say they often go there after work to drink. But Mr. Cheng said he would not comment yesterday on his former employees or any disagreements they might have had. "I do my own business here," he said. "I don't want to get involved with anybody else." This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM