Ghost Shadows
| Founded | Late 1960s |
|---|---|
| Founding location | New York City, Providence Rhode Island |
| Years active | 1960s–1990s |
| Territory | New York City, Houston Texas, Providence Rhode Island |
| Ethnicity | Chinese/Vietnamese |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, extortion, robbery, assault, illegal gambling, burglary, theft and murder |
| Allies | Tiny Rascal Gang, On Leong Tong, Big Circle Gang, Ruthless Shooter Gang, Golden Raskal Dragons, Oriental Ruthless Boys |
| Rivals | Flying Dragons, Bloods, Crips |
The Ghost Shadows or GSS (traditional Chinese: 鬼影幫; simplified Chinese: 鬼影帮; Jyutping: gwai2 jing2 bong1) are a Chinese American gang that was prominent in New York City's Chinatown from the 1980s through the early 1990s. Formed in 1971 by immigrants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, the gang is believed to be under control of the On Leong Tong. They adopted the colors black and white as their clothing to match the name of the set. The gang was often engaged in bloody turf wars with other Chinatown gangs such as the Flying Dragons, the Division Street Boys also known as the Tung On Association, and their activities included extortion, kidnapping, murder, racketeering, drug trafficking and illegal gambling. The Ghost Shadows' influence was widespread, having links to Boston, New Orleans, Houston and Chicago as well as links to Italian-American Mafia families.
The gang suffered some heavy blows in 1995. Boss Wing Yeung Chan was indicted on murder and racketeering charges and secretly began cooperating with the authorities.
GSS are also rivals with the Bloods and Crips after a fight broke out in a party located in the East Coast in Providence Rhode Island, one of the Ghost Shadows lost in a fight and went home and grabbed an illegal weapon that was fully loaded that was known to be a tec 9 and came back to the party shooting at the Bloods and Crips.
Members
Wing Yeung Chan
Chan Wing Yeung or Wing Yeung Chan (born January 6, 1945) is a Chinese-American mobster affiliated with the On Leong Merchants Association and the Ghost Shadows of New York's Chinatown. His criminal record includes a conviction for possession of a gambling device and promoting gambling on December 16, 1985, and a conviction for promoting gambling on February 13, 1987. As of 2006, he is on the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General Exclusion list with other mobsters such as Salvatore Gravano after being officially listed on December 17, 1992.
Robin Chee
Robin Chee has been publicly identified as being a leader of the Ghost Shadows street gang, which is headquartered in the New York City area. The Ghost Shadows street gang has been found to have engaged in such activities as drug trafficking, extortion and robbery. In addition, the Ghost Shadows street gang is allegedly affiliated with the On Leong Chinese Merchants Association which, although legitimate in part, has been found by authorities to be a significant criminally influenced tong engaged in various illegal activities including illegal gambling.
Applehead
Applehead (pronounced Apo with silent-L) one of the original founders of Ghost Shadows and a leader of breakaway factions of Ghost Shadows[1] Bayard Boys during the late 1970s up to his indictments on RICO statutes in the mid-1980s. The name "Bayard Boys" did not materialize until around mid-1980s. During this time both factions of Ghost Shadows – the Mott Street Boys and Bayard Boys – were disorganized due to their leaders being in prison, or in flight because of the indictments and preceding charges against them. The Mott Street Boys remnants were finally dissolved and absorbed by the Bayard Boys in which technically it became Ghost Shadows from Mott Street but somehow "Bayard Boys" remained the de facto nickname under Robin Chee. During Robin Chee's leadership, a small group of Ghost Shadows broke again but they are neither the Mott Street nor Bayard Boys (source: freedom of information act).
References
- ↑ "Youth gang leader isn't smiling anymore" , 1978, Peter Arnett, AP
External links
- Chinese – Asian Organized Crime Groups: Tongs and Street Gangs. Information on Ghost Shadows from MafiaNJ.com.
- http://www.nychinatown.org/articles/voice19770131.html
- Lorch, Donatella (January 6, 1991). "'Hong Kong Boy': A College Student, and a Ghost Shadow". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
Armed with a .357 Magnum revolver that he says he bought for $400 in a Roy Rogers restaurant in Queens, he guards the street from the encroachment of rival gangs. With more than 40 fellow Ghost Shadows, he says he offers protection to the store owners along the street, in exchange for money. Gang members also guard illegal gambling halls. The police say they rough up clients who do not pay.
- Dao, James (July 22, 1992). "Wider Chinatown Gang Warfare Feared". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
After months of relative peace in the violent and murky world of Asian-American gangs, the fatal shooting of a high-ranking Chinatown gang leader Monday has renewed concerns about warfare among rival groups.