FRESNO - A federal grand jury returned an indictment today against three members of the Mongolian Boys Society, charging them with conspiring to commit murder in aid of racketeering for acting as lookouts for a gang shooting that killed four, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to court documents, Fresno residents Pao Vang, 30; Jhovanny Delgado, 19; and Johnny Xiong, 25, were members of the Mongolian Boys Society (MBS), a criminal organization active in Fresno and Visalia.
According to the indictment, on Nov. 17, 2019, members and associates of the MBS held a meeting and conspired to commit a retaliatory murder. They selected a target residence, chose shooters, provided them with guns, and drove to the target location. Vang, Delgado, and Xiong, who attended the meeting, were designated as lookouts.
They positioned themselves on street corners near the target residence to report the presence of law enforcement to the shooters or other gang members. Subsequently, the MBS shooters killed four individuals and injured at least six others.
Vang, Delgado, and Xiong were charged by criminal complaint on Jan. 2 and have been detained in federal custody since that date.
Additionally, on Jan. 2, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office filed a related felony complaint in the Fresno County Superior Court charging Ger Lee, 27; Anthony Montes, 27; Porge Kue, 26; and Billy Xiong, 25, with special circumstances murder, conspiracy to commit murder, multiple counts of attempted murder, as well as enhancements for personally using and discharging firearms in the commission of the offenses and for committing the crimes for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a criminal street gang.
“Federal and local law enforcement are committed to stopping violent criminal organizations like this one,” said U.S. Attorney Scott. “We will continue to work with our state and federal partners to keep our communities safe from gang violence.”
“In conjunction with the ongoing criminal case in the Fresno County Superior Court, today’s news that a federal grand jury returned an indictment is a testament to the hard work of the Fresno Police Department and that of our federal partners,” said Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp. “Collaboratively, we will do all we can to hold to account the perpetrators of this horrific offense and to seek justice for the victims and survivors.”
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Fresno Police, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office and the Clovis Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Newman is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
