S.F. Jury Convicts 4 in Microchip Heists

Four men have been convicted on federal organized-crime charges of running a gang that robbed dozens of microchip businesses in California, Oregon and Minnesota.

The mid-1990s crimes included a $10-million heist of Centon Electronics in Irvine, one of the most costly in U.S. history.

Mady Chan of Sacramento, Hoang Ai Le of Oakland and San Francisco, John That Luong and his cousin, Huy Chi “Jimmy” Luong, both of Elk Grove, were convicted Thursday of being the kingpins of the gang, nicknamed “The Company.”

The U.S. District Court jury in San Francisco also found John That Luong guilty of trafficking in heroin in San Francisco, Boston and New York as a way to finance the robbery ring.

John Luong and Le are already serving four-year prison sentences for their convictions in 1998 of being leaders of a ring that smuggled undocumented immigrants.

On Thursday, the jury found each of the four men guilty of operating a racketeering enterprise and conspiracy to operate a racketeering enterprise. They each face up to 20 years in prison on those charges at their sentencing hearing, set for October.

John That Luong also faces life in prison on the heroin charge.

The jury deliberated for eight days.

The Luongs and Chan are awaiting trial in U.S. District Court in Sacramento under another indictment charging them with laundering millions of dollars in gang revenue by purchasing Central Valley real estate and luxury automobiles.

During the three-month trial, more than a dozen former members of the gang testified in detail about how the gang selected as targets microchip firms in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, Fremont and San Jose; Blaine, Minn.; and Beaverton, Ore.

They also discussed how gang members were recruited and how safe houses, cars, vans and weapons were procured.

Jurors heard more than 200 wiretapped telephone conversations about robberies and about providing legal help to arrested gang members.

The men convicted Thursday are the first of 19 defendants charged with various crimes related to the gang.

The men were arrested as part of an investigation code-named “Bytes Dust.”