$ 100K per year to serve in prison in silence

San Francisco – A group of drug traffickers in the Bay area was worried that the federal authorities soon knocked on their door, but believed they had found an ideal solution, according to judicial records.

The group had reasons to worry: one of his ex -boyfriends had been recently arrested for the FBI while working as a messaging for drug shipments and cash in security houses located between the Bay and Los Angeles area. Fearing to shed the beans, they offered the man $ 100,000 per year to make his prison time and keep his mouth closed, according to prosecutors.

There was only one problem. At the time of this alleged attempt to pay witnesses, in September 2022, the man was already working for the FBI. The result were federal charges against at least three members of the drug ring, and recent sentences for two of them, according to judicial records.

Christina Nguyen, 29, who left the messaging service, was sentenced to the release of time and supervised after declaring himself guilty of a crime of manipulation of federal witnesses, according to records. Elliot Leung, his cohort, was not so lucky. He received a federal prison sentence of three years after declaring himself guilty of drug charges and delivered to the prison office last month.

Federal prosecutors accused a third man, John Khuu, in Texas to wash money and cryptocurrencies, in relation to drug ring investigation. Prosecutors say that Khuu was involved with Leung and Nguyen schemes to sell False Adderall that contains methamphetamine and other drugs. Judicial records show that he recently declared himself guilty of washing and is waiting for the sentence.

The drug ring was vast, according to prosecutors. The group used at least two emails and used rental houses around San Francisco, including one where the authorities found 15,000 falsified Addell pills containing 13 pounds of methamphetamine. The agents also confiscated 760 pounds of marijuana and two assault weapons during the investigation.

When the FBI analyzed Khuu’s money laundering activity, they found evidence that it was involved in hundreds of drug transactions and bitcoin worth $ 5.3 million in alleged drug profits, authorities said.

In August 2022, Nguyen’s ex -boyfriend was arrested by the FBI during a messaging route, and agreed to cooperate. According to reports, the man had other problems. In judicial presentations, Nguyen’s lawyer wrote that he had “thousands of debt dollars due to an addiction to the Pokémon video game” and that she offered the money in part because she felt guilty of facing prison time.

“It does not put excuses and is more than disappointed in the retrospective in its absurd and clearly incorrect behavior,” says a defense judgment, which further describes Nguyen’s life as a “marked by empathy, community service and personal responsibility.”

Similarly, Leung’s lawyers described him as a marijuana trafficker whose associates sold more hard drugs, unlike someone directly involved in methamphetamine sales. They wrote that their apparent will to pay the witness was due to their desire to help someone in a serious situation. Leung also wrote a letter of apology, saying that he was lost by people who thought they were his friends during the university, which led to his abandonment and a waterfall of bad decisions.

“Going to this difficult moment has shown me how to make my mistakes the opportunity to change. I have learned a lot about my mistakes and I am working to build a better life than I can be proud, ”said Leung. “These lessons have committed me not to repeat my past mistakes and the shame I feel keeps me motivated to make smarter and more positive decisions.”

Originally published: March 12, 2025 at 4:12 pm PDT