Alhambra : Gang Extortionist Guilty

A Vietnamese-Chinese gang member from Alhambra has been found guilty in federal court of extorting payments from an Orange County restaurant owner by threatening vandalism and violence.

Johnny Zin Chan, 30, was convicted Dec. 22 in U.S. District Court. He faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

Chan attempted to extort $16,200 from Jane Phunt Sam, owner of Sam’s Paradise Restaurant in Laguna Beach, according to Assistant U.S. Atty. John J. Byrne Jr., who prosecuted the case. Byrne said Chan threatened to harm Sam and her children and also vandalized her home and restaurant. Sam was so scared that she sold her house, moved and began making payments to Chan, Byrne said.

Chan was arrested after an investigation by the FBI’s Asian Organized Crime Squad and the Los Angeles Police Department’s Organized Crime Intelligence Division and Asian Gang Detail.