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2 get 78 months in prison for extortion
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Posted on May 23 2006
The federal court yesterday re-sentenced to 78 months in prison two members of a group that used violence to collect the money they had loaned for large interests to some gamblers at an illegal casino in Garapan.
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson ordered Jia Huan Chen and Wei Jun Chen to spend six years and six months in prison.
Munson said that after serving their term, the defendants would be placed on three years of probation.
Jia Huan Chen and Wei Jun Chen were also directed to pay $200 and $300 in court assessment fees. Both were remanded back to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
The jury found Jia Huan Chen guilty of one count of conspiracy to collect extensions of credit by extortionate means and one count of attempted collection of extensions of credit by extortionate means.
Wei Jun Chen pleaded guilty.
The defendants were sentenced in 2004 to 78 months in prison. An appeal on sentencing guideline issue was made to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The appellate court remanded the case to the federal court for re-sentencing.
According to court papers, from April to July 2003, one of the defendants loaned money to patrons of illegal gambling establishments frequented by Chinese contract workers. The loans carried an interest rate of $600 per month for each $1,000 borrowed.
The defendants and other persons conspired with each other to participate in the use of extortionate means to collect and attempt to collect extensions of credit. The group punished persons who failed to pay by beating them up.
