Stephen Tse

Stephen Tse (Tse Chun-on or Chun-wah, "Sky Dragon") is the former restaurateur and head of the Ping On syndicate, which controlled criminal activity in the area of Boston Chinatown from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s. Tse was jailed for sixteen months starting in 1984 for refusing to answer questions after being subpoenaed by the President's Commission on Organized Crime, marking the start of the decline of Ping On influence over Boston.

After his release from contempt charges relating to the subpoena, Tse and the Ping On were forced to share power with rival groups that had grown stronger while he was jailed. A failed 1988 assassination attempt on two competing leaders who had openly defied him led to his eventual arrest, extradition, and conviction in 1996.

Early activities and rise Stephen Tse is also known as Tse Chun Wah or Tse Chun On, depending on the source. Tse was born in Hong Kong, where he was a member of the 14K Triad, After his release, Tse joined the On Leong, but they expelled him shortly afterward then founded the Ping On Club in 1982 at the Chinese Freemasons Building (6 Tyler Street).

Tyler Street at Beach in Chinatown, facing south (2010); the Four Seas was at the space now occupied by Peach Farm Seafood. Police believe that Tse rose to power in Boston Chinatown by operating gambling and extortion activities independently of the existing influence of the On Leong Tong; instead of the youths that tongs employed as enforcers, Tse used Hong Kong-born criminals. During this time, Tse was allied with Harry Mook (Goon Chun Yee), head of the local CKT, operator of the Four Seas restaurant, and reputedly the godfather of Chinatown. The Four Seas and Kung Fu restaurants were next to each other on Tyler Street; the Four Seas address was listed as 4 Tyler Street in 1978.

Contempt charges and waning influence After receiving a subpoena on September 20, 1984 from the President's Commission on Organized Crime to answer questions about an apparent unity ceremony he had participated in with the heads of other triad crime organizations in Hong Kong, Tse appeared before the Commission on October 1 and asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination; after he was granted immunity on October 19 in exchange for his testimony, he continued to refuse to answer questions and was found in contempt after a brief proceeding. At the time, Tse was living in Quincy and he gave his occupation as manager of the Kung Fu restaurant.

Tse was incarcerated for sixteen months; after his release on February 27, 1986, After his naturalization in 1987 or 1988, Tse spent most of his time in Hong Kong. This led to an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Luu and Meng on the night of December 29, 1988. Tse ordered Jimmy Soo Hoo and Kwok-Wah Chan from the Ping On to use automatic weapons; Soo Hoo and Chan fired on Luu and Meng for 30 to 60 seconds, but failed to hit either man. Tse and his chief lieutenant Michael Kwong were arrested along with a larger group for gambling in Chinatown on January 2, 1989;

The end of the Ping On's influence in Chinatown was marked by the murder of gang lieutenant Michael Kwong, shot to death inside his New Dragon Chef restaurant in Arlington on August 11, 1989. Michael Kwong had been seen arguing with Wayne Kwong (no relation) earlier; Wayne Kwong was perceived as a rising underworld leader in Chinatown. However, Luu was murdered (along with four others) by three men connected to Tse on the night of January 11–12, 1991, during the Boston Chinatown massacre, which was thought to be part of a continued struggle for power. Mook pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering and money laundering in July 1991. By that time, Tse had permanently returned to Hong Kong and no longer had power in Boston.

Tse was convicted of three counts related to murder in aid of racketeering (two counts of attempted murder, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder, relating to the 1988 attempt on Luu and Meng) on July 25, 1996 and was subsequently sentenced to a term of 188 months. Tse's appeal was denied by the First Circuit Court of Appeals on February 3, 1998.