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Press Release

Dorchester Man Pleads Guilty to Kidnapping, Loansharking and Illegal Gambling

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts

BOSTON – A Dorchester man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to kidnapping, loansharking and illegal gambling.

Kim Nguyen, 25, pleaded guilty to kidnapping, conspiracy to collect extensions of credit by extortionate means, and operating an illegal gambling business. U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin scheduled sentencing for Jan. 10, 2019. In August 2017, Nguyen was indicted along with co-defendants Vinh Huynh, 35; Quang PT Le, 27; and Ban Tran, a/k/a “Bo,” 26, all of Dorchester.

On Nov. 14, 2016, Nguyen, Le, who was armed with a knife, and their co-conspirators kidnapped a victim from the front of the victim’s residence, drove the victim to Dorchester, and beat the victim in an attempt to collect a gambling debt of $40,000. Nguyen, Le, and their co-conspirators released the victim and demanded a payment of $10,000 the next day. That day, the victim went to law enforcement and, under the direction of law enforcement officers, made a series of controlled, recorded payments to Le. Over the course of eight months, the victim made payments totaling $22,350. In August 2017, Nguyen, Le, and others were arrested before the last payment was due.

In May 2018, Le was sentenced to six years in prison and three years of supervised release. Huynh pleaded guilty in December 2017 and is awaiting sentencing. The remaining defendant, Tran, was charged only with operating an illegal gambling business, and is scheduled to plead guilty on Oct. 31, 2018.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Boston Police Commissioner William Gross; and Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan made the announcement today. The Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations in Boston and the Massachusetts Department of Correction assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy E.  Moran of Lelling’s Organized Crime and Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

The remaining defendant charged in this case is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

 

Updated October 17, 2018

Topic
Violent Crime