British Columbia’s Director of Civil Forfeiture has filed a multimillion-dollar claim against alleged money launderer and banned casino gambler Paul King Jin and members of his family.

Real estate transactions through beneficial agreements, money transferred between an apparent prostitution ring and an underground bank, the attempted kidnapping of a child, tax evasion and illegal gaming activity in various Richmond homes are among the allegations in the claim.

article continues below

Documents filed in BC Supreme Court show the director seeking to obtain the spoils of unlawful activity, including $4.86 million cash, a Richmond apartment on Jones Road, a 2011 Porsche and casino chips.

Defendants include Jin, his spouse, Xiaoqi Wei; his niece, Yuanyuan Jia; his father, Gong Ping Jia; his mother, Hua Wang, and Ming Kang Ye. All are said to have connections to Jin’s assets.

Jin has a criminal record with convictions for aggravated assault, sexual assault and sexual exploitation, the claim states. Despite being arrested on Feb. 24, 2016, for various alleged crimes, Jin has neither been charged nor convicted of money laundering.

But the claim notes Jin was investigated for money laundering in a sting dubbed E-Pirate. Jin led police to Silver International Investment Ltd., an unlicensed money service business in Richmond, where it’s alleged he deposited vast sums of money. Charges against Silver itself and its principals were stayed late last year, reportedly because an informant’s identity was compromised. However, a civil forfeiture claim has been filed against Silver as well.

At the time Jin was investigated by police he was found to be living in two condos at #1107 5199 Brighouse Way and #1204 5177 Brighouse Way, in a development known as River Green.

Jin was banned from all B.C. casinos in 2015, according to a report to RCMP by the BC Lottery Corp. That report concluded that between June 2012 and June 2015, Jin and his associates made 140 casino transactions worth $23.5 million.

The province’s Civil Forfeiture Act allows for a judge to take into account unlawful activity even if no criminal charges have being laid, or if a person’s charges are stayed. Facts may be determined on a balance of probabilities.

The director, based on affidavits from police, is seeking to claim these assets as proceeds of crime.

The director also claims Jin “laundered the proceeds of unlawful activity” by purchasing or paying deposits toward a $2.4 million West Richmond home at 8100 Fairbrook Crescent, another condo at #1301 6633 Pearson Way, a 2013 Cadillac Escalade and a 2013 Bentley Continental GT. These assets are not part of the claim filed March 15.

The apartment at #210 8120 Jones Road was registered to Yuanyuan Jia but Jin was found to be the beneficial owner. Most of the money and casino chips ($25,000 in River Rock chips and $10,000 in Edgewater Casino) was seized from River Green and is being held by the Seized Property Management Directorate of Public Works and Government Services Canada. The Porsche is registered to Ming Kang Ye with Jin being the beneficial owner.

As it relates to Jin’s alleged activity operating illegal gaming houses, the claim states an investigation by Canada Revenue Agency determined Jin’s net profit between June 11, 2015 and Oct. 8, 2015 alone was over $32 million. But Jin and Wei’s combined annual reported income reported to CRA between 2011 and 2014 averaged $29,969, according to court documents. A failure to declare taxes is among the legal basis of the claim.

Jin also used a third River Green condo at #102 5131 Brighouse Way, registered to Jin’s mother in law, as an illegal gaming house, the claim states.

Police claimed a second illegal gaming house was established by Jin at 13511 No. 4 Road, where police said they found three rooms with gaming tables on the main floor with an upstairs room with remnants of video monitoring.

Global News has reported that the investigation may have been compromised as the casino operators had the original warrant date Oct. 14, 2015 circled on a calendar in the home.

The investigation found Jin was transferring money from the Jones Road property and Water Cube, a massage parlour in downtown Richmond that was investigated by the city for illegal prostitution and subsequently shut down.

Global News has reported how Silver’s underground network is tied to the fentanyl trade in China and Mexican drug cartels.

Police records showed much of the money coming from gamblers, some of whom got into debt with Jin. In one case, according to the investigation, “a male working for Mr. Jin attempted to kidnap the child of one of the debtors by attending at the child’s school and presenting photocopies of the child’s identification document,” which were then found inside Jin’s condo.

Jin has three weeks to file a response to the claim.

gwood@glaciermedia.ca