Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Edward J. Grace, Assistant Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement, announced today that TEO BOON CHING, aka “Zhang, ” a/k/a “Dato Sri,” aka “The Godfather,” is accused of participating in a conspiracy to traffic more than 70 kilograms of rhino horns worth more than $725,000 that involved the illegal poaching of numerous rhinos, an endangered species of wildlife. In addition, CHING was charged for laundering the proceeds of the illegal sale of rhino horn. CHING, a Malaysian national, was arrested in Thailand on June 29, 2022 at the request of the United States pursuant to our bilateral extradition treaty. CHING was extradited to the United States earlier today and will be extradited this afternoon appear before Magistrate Judge Gabriel W. Gorenstein The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty.
Earlier today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned CHING and its affiliates pursuant to E.O. 13581, as amended.
US Attorney Damian Williams said: “Teo Boon Ching is alleged to be the leader of a transnational criminal enterprise that trades in rhino horns, enriching the poachers responsible for the senseless illegal slaughter of numerous endangered rhinos and fostering a market for these illicit products. Protecting endangered wildlife and preserving our natural resources is an important priority of this Office. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, this defendant was captured and brought to the United States to answer for his alleged crimes.”
Office of Law Enforcement Assistant Director Edward J. Grace said, “This extradition is a huge success for wildlife and people. Thanks to our federal and international partners, this wildlife trafficker will now have his day in court. Wildlife traffickers run complex international criminal enterprises that require multinational law enforcement efforts to investigate, arrest and prosecute them for their crimes. I commend the efforts of our special agents, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, and especially the Royal Thai Police for their dedication to solving this global problem that is driving many species to extinction.”
As stated in the superseding indictment unsealed today in federal court in Manhattan:[1]
CHING was the leader of a transnational criminal enterprise (“Enterprise”) based in Asia with significant operations in Malaysia and Thailand engaged in large-scale international trade and smuggling of rhino horns resulting from the poaching of numerous endangered rhinos. Trade involving endangered or threatened species violates several US laws, as well as international treaties enforced by certain US laws. CHING served as a specialized smuggler, transporting rhino horn from rhino poaching operations primarily in Africa to potential buyers primarily in Asia. CHING also claimed to be able to ship rhino horns to the United States.
From at least July 2019 or approximately the end of August 2019, CHING conspired to transport, distribute, sell, and smuggle at least approximately 73 kilograms of rhino horn resulting from the poaching of numerous rhinos, valued at at least approximately $725,472.
On several occasions, CHING met with a confidential source to negotiate the sale of rhino horns. For example, on July 17 and 18, 2019, a confidential source met with CHING in Malaysia. During those meetings, CHING stated that he served as a “broker” – one who procures rhino horns poached by the conspirators in Africa and ships them to buyers around the world for a fee per kilogram. During their communication, CHING sent a confidential source numerous photographs of rhino horns that CHING had available for sale and shipment, including the following:
In August 2019, a confidential source, as instructed by law enforcement, purchased 12 rhino horns from CHING with money that CHING believed to be the proceeds of another illegal wildlife trade and held in bank accounts in New York. On CHING’s orders, the police deposited the alleged proceeds into numerous Chinese bank accounts in an underground banking facility in Thailand to conceal the origin, source and purpose of the monetary transactions.
On August 23, 2019, CHING then arranged for his accomplices to deliver twelve pieces of rhino horn to undercover law enforcement personnel in Bangkok, Thailand. A photo of rhino horns provided by CHING is below:
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service Forensic Laboratory examined these rhino horns and determined that two of the horn pieces were black rhino horns and the other 10 were white rhino horns, both endangered species.
* * *
CHING, 57, of Malaysia, was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and two counts of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Maximum potential sentences are set by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as each sentence for the accused will be determined by the judge.
Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, Mr. Williams thanked the Royal Thai Government for its assistance in extraditing CHING to the United States and praised law enforcement and conservation partners in Thailand, including the Royal Thai Police and the Attorney General’s Office. Mr. Williams also thanked the United States Embassy in Bangkok and the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs for providing significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of the accused and noted that the investigation is ongoing.
The processing of this case is led by the Office of the Office for Complex Fraud and Cybercrime. Assistant US Attorney Michael R. Herman is in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the superseding indictment are allegations only. The accused is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
[1] As the opening sentence indicates, the entire text of the superseding indictment and its description provided below are allegations only, and each fact described should be treated as an allegation.
