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| Founded | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Founding location | New York City |
| Years active | 1970s–1990s |
| Territory | New York City, Houston Texas, Providence, Rhode Island |
| Ethnicity | Cantonese and Taishanese |
| Criminal activities | Racketeering, extortion, illegal gambling, assault, murder, armed robbery and kidnapping |
| Allies | On Leong Tong, Big Circle Gang, Tiny Rascal Gang |
| Rivals | Flying Dragons |
The Ghost Shadows or GSS (traditional Chinese: 鬼影幫; simplified Chinese: 鬼影帮; Jyutping: gwai2 jing2 bong1) was a Chinese American street gang that was prominent in New York City's Chinatown from the early 1970s to the mid 1990s.
History
Formed in 1971 by immigrants from Taiwan and Hong Kong, the gang was affiliated with the On Leong Tong. They adopted the colors black and white as their clothing to match the name of the set. Throughout the 1980s, the gang was often engaged in bloody turf wars with other Chinatown gangs such as the older Flying Dragons, affiliated with Hip Sing Tong and the Division Street Boys affiliated with Tung On Association.
Their activities included extortion, kidnapping, murder, racketeering, drug trafficking and illegal gambling. The Ghost Shadows' influence was widespread, having links to Chinatowns in other cities, as well as links to Sicilian-American Mafia families. The organization is defunct due to Federal RICO crackdowns during the 1990s.
Members
Wing Yeung Chan
Wing Yeung Chan (born Jan 6, 1945) was president of On Leong Tong and for a decade the leader of the Ghost Shadows. Charged with murder and racketeering, he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.
Applehead
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Shui Ping Wu (born 1956), also known as Applehead (pronounced Apo with silent-L), was one of the original founders of Ghost Shadows and a leader of breakaway factions of Ghost Shadows Bayard Boys during the late 1970s, up to his indictments on RICO statutes in the mid-1980s.
In 1977, Wu was charged with four others for extorting money from a restaurant employee in Montgomery County, MD. He pled guilty in a re-trial in 1983, suspending the final few years of his original 5 year sentence.
References
- "Ghost Shadows to be arraigned today". United Press International. February 18, 1985. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
- Transnational activities of Chinese crime organizations
- Valdez, Investigator Al (31 December 1999). "The Tiny Rascal Gang: Big Trouble". www.policemag.com. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
- Weiss, Murray (April 17, 2003). "Cig-Stab Suspects' Dad Led C'Town Mob". New York Post. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- "Feds say Chinatown crime run like Mafia". United Press International. June 2, 1995. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- "Youth gang leader isn't smiling anymore" , 1978, Peter Arnett, AP
- Katz, Barbara J. (December 29, 1977). "Five Men Indicted in Chinese Restaurant Extortion Attempt". Washtington Post. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- Guillermoprieto, Alma (January 11, 1983). "2 Plead Guilty In Retrial in Extortion Case". Washtington Post. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
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.