The Snakehead of Chinatown

Summary

The Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told

Season 2: Episode - "The Snakehead of Chinatown"
Host: Mary Kay McBrayer
Release Date: July 15, 2025

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Introduction

In "The Snakehead of Chinatown," hosted by true crime writer Mary Kay McBrayer, listeners are immersed in the intricate and shadowy world of human smuggling within New York City's Chinatown. This episode delves into the life of Ching Cuyping, known as Sister Ping, a formidable figure in the illegal immigration network that facilitated the perilous journeys of countless individuals seeking a better life in the United States.

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The Golden Venture Disaster ([02:28] - [24:04])

The episode opens with a harrowing recount of the Golden Venture shipwreck on June 6, 1993. Two Park Service officers patrol the Rockaway Peninsula beach in Queens when they encounter two emaciated Asian men approaching their vehicle. As they investigate, they witness the chaos unfolding as passengers of the Golden Venture, a 150-foot cargo ship laden with over 300 immigrants, panic and leap into the frigid Atlantic waters. Tragically, ten passengers perish, and 276 are detained.

Mary Kay McBrayer ([02:28]): "It was a few hours before dawn... the screams coming from the about 100 yards offshore..."

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Introducing Sister Ping ([24:04] - [52:19])

Mary Kay transitions to the central figure of the episode, Sister Ping. Born in 1949 in Fujian Province, China, Sister Ping's early life was marked by modest beginnings and a move to Hong Kong in the mid-1970s in search of better opportunities. In 1981, she immigrates to the United States alone, leaving her family behind, and establishes a small variety store in New York's Chinatown. Her business acumen leads her to create a remittance service that becomes the foundation of her human smuggling empire.

Mary Kay McBrayer ([24:04]): "She was the orchestrator of a massive underground network that stretched across Asia, Africa, and the Americas."

As Sister Ping's operation grows, she partners with Ake, the leader of the Fuqching Gang, a powerful and violent group in Chinatown. Their collaboration initially flourishes, allowing the smuggling network to expand its reach seamlessly.

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The Rise and Fall of Sister Ping ([52:19] - [44:04])

The narrative progresses to the complexities of Sister Ping's operations, highlighting her strategic alliances and business expansions. By the late 1980s, Sister Ping controls smuggling routes across continents, but growth brings vulnerabilities. The Golden Venture disaster becomes the catalyst for increased scrutiny from authorities.

Despite the tragedy, Sister Ping remains elusive. The FBI intensifies its investigation, eventually uncovering crucial evidence during a raid of her Chinatown establishment. In September 1994, Sister Ping flees to Hong Kong, where she continues her operations undeterred.

Years of pursuit lead to her eventual capture in April 2000, thanks to a tip about a ticket held by her son. The evidence seized from her led to her indictment and trial.

Mary Kay McBrayer ([52:19]): "With the incredible profit she was bringing in from her trafficking, Sister Ping made some strategic investments..."

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Trial and Conviction ([44:04] - [54:51])

In May 2005, Sister Ping's trial commences. The prosecution paints her as "one of the most powerful and most successful alien smugglers of our time," while her defense portrays her as a misunderstood businesswoman. The jury convicts her on June 22, 2005, sentencing her to 35 years in prison.

Sister Ping's impassioned final statement reflects her belief in her innocence and the victimization she feels within the justice system.

Mary Kay McBrayer ([44:04]): "At her sentencing hearing, she gave an impassioned hour-long speech explaining how in every major story discussed at trial, she was the victim..."

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Impact and Legacy ([54:51] - End)

Sister Ping's legacy is dual-faceted. To many in the Fujianese community, she is revered as a hero who provided a lifeline to those desperate for a new beginning. Conversely, authorities and detractors view her as a ruthless criminal responsible for countless lives lost and ongoing human suffering.

The Golden Venture survivors faced harsh outcomes, with only a fraction receiving asylum. Many remained in precarious statuses, living under the constant threat of deportation despite establishing lives in the U.S.

Sister Ping's death in 2014 from pancreatic cancer marked the end of a notorious chapter, but her influence persisted as her family continued the smuggling operations, albeit without her strategic prowess.

Mary Kay McBrayer ([54:51]): "Depending on who you ask, she's either the villain or the hero of the story."

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Conclusion

"The Snakehead of Chinatown" masterfully captures the complexities of illegal immigration, the human desperation driving it, and the criminal networks exploiting these vulnerabilities. Mary Kay McBrayer provides a nuanced portrayal of Sister Ping, inviting listeners to grapple with the moral ambiguities surrounding her actions and their profound impacts on individuals and communities.

For an in-depth exploration, Mary Kay recommends Patrick Radden Keefe's book, "The Snakehead," which offers a comprehensive account of Sister Ping's life and criminal endeavors.

Mary Kay McBrayer ([Final Segment]): "If you're interested in learning more, I recommend checking out Patrick Radden Keefe's book, also called the Snakehead, for an even deeper dive into Sister Ping's life and crimes."

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Notable Quotes

• Mary Kay McBrayer ([02:28]): "It was a few hours before dawn... the screams coming from the about 100 yards offshore..."
• Mary Kay McBrayer ([24:04]): "She was the orchestrator of a massive underground network that stretched across Asia, Africa, and the Americas."
• Mary Kay McBrayer ([52:19]): "With the incredible profit she was bringing in from her trafficking, Sister Ping made some strategic investments..."
• Mary Kay McBrayer ([44:04]): "At her sentencing hearing, she gave an impassioned hour-long speech explaining how in every major story discussed at trial, she was the victim..."
• Mary Kay McBrayer ([54:51]): "Depending on who you ask, she's either the villain or the hero of the story."

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Further Resources

• Patrick Radden Keefe's Book: The Snakehead
• Show Website: diversionaudio.com
• Mary Kay McBrayer's Book: Madame: The Life and Crimes of Harlem's Underground Racketeer Stephanie Sinclair

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the depth and breadth of "The Snakehead of Chinatown," providing listeners with a clear understanding of the episode's key themes, events, and characters.

Transcript

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[Ryan Reynolds]

A Note this episode contains mature content and descriptions of violence that may be disturbing for some listeners. Please take care in listening it was a few hours before dawn on June 6, 1993, as two Park Service officers patrolled the Rockaway Peninsula beach in Queens. This far outside of Manhattan. Only their headlights cut through the pre dawn darkness. The men chit chatted, preparing for an uneventful night, when they spotted something moving toward their vehicle. Two figures stumbled toward them from the beach, waving their arms and looking shell shocked. As they got closer, the officers could see they were middle aged Asian men and skeletally thin. The officers opened their car doors to help, and that's when they heard them. The screams coming from the about 100 yards offshore, a small rusted cargo ship had run aground along the peninsula. From where they were standing on the beachfront, the officers could see that the boat was about 150ft long and the deck was crowded with people. Far too many people for any sanctioned voyage. As they ran toward the waterline, the officers watched the panic stricken passengers jump over the side of the vessel, tumbling 20ft down into the dark waves below. It may have been a warm New York summer, but the ocean water was only 53 degrees, well within hypothermia range. Clearly, these men and women were not well. They screamed for help in the crashing black waves, and those who made it to the shore stumbled out and vomited up seawater from their distended bellies. Those who weren't as strong or nourished went into cardiac arrest when they hit the water. The officers called in backup and administered aid, but there was only so much they could do. By morning, the shipwreck was all over the news helicopters circled the crash site, beaming live footage onto television screens across the city. Questions piled up. Who were these starving, shipwrecked travelers? How did they get here? And who was behind this? One of the many New Yorkers watching the news footage that morning was Qing Cuyping, a stout woman in her mid-40s who spoke almost no English. She sat inside a small shop in Manhattan's Chinatown, eyes glued to the tv. To most, Ching Cueping was an unassuming shopkeeper who sold clothes and goods imported from China. She wore modest clothing and had the demeanor of someone barely getting by in the big city. But to those who truly knew her, Ching Cue Ping was someone else entirely. Along with her other identity came another name, Sister Ping. And Sister Ping knew exactly where those shipwrecked passengers had come from and how they got to New York. She knew because she was the one who brought them here. Welcome to the greatest true crime stories ever told. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, author of the true crime book Madame the Life and Crimes of Harlem's Underground Racketeer, Stephanie Sinclair. Today's episode we're calling the Snakehead of Chinatown. It's a story about desperation, ambition and the shadowy world of human smuggling. It's about the lengths people will go in search of a better life and those who build their empires by making that journey possible. We'll get into all of it right after this quick break. Stories of dangerous immigration are all around us in America, if you look for them. The circumstances that are easiest for me to understand are the ones portrayed in television shows because they have clear narrative arcs, even though that's not how any situation exists in life. Remember the horror movie His House or The Oregon Trail Limited Series 1883? Those survivalist types of narratives make those of us who have never been in that dire of a situation wonder, how bad did it have to get before you put yourself through this on a chance of changing it? I mean, you heard the top of the episode what would have to happen before you risked your life like that? So let's talk about Sister Ping. Well, before we get into it, let me just apologize in advance. I am truly trying my best with the pronunciations and I know I'm going to get some wrong, but please know I am trying to get them right. Ching Chui Ping, or Sister Ping, as I'll call her from now on, was born in 1949 to a humble home life. Her parents came from a small village in China's Fujian province, where life was simple and opportunities for upward mobility were few. Little is known about her childhood years, but as a young adult, Sister Ping did the thing everyone in her life expected her to do. She married a meek but responsible fisherman from a neighboring village. The two lived a quiet life together in the early years of their marriage, subsisting off the fish he caught and their meager profits. But Sometime in the mid-70s, the couple left China for Hong Kong in search of better opportunities. There, Sister Ping scraped together to open a convenience store and garnered a reputation for her good business sense. She also gave birth to four children. In 1981, she made an appointment at the United States Consulate in Hong Kong in hopes of applying for a United States visa. In her interview, she told the consulate official that she wanted to go to America to be a housekeeper, where she believed she could make a better living for her children. Whether they granted the visa is unknown, as is her method of transportation. But nevertheless, later that year, Sister Ping arrived on US Soil alone, leaving her husband and children behind for the time being. For as long as there have been borders, there has been immigration. One might argue that before there were borders, people were not sedentary so even then, we moved around based on opportunity. But even if you don't want to go that far into the rabbit hole, suffice it to say that whenever one community faces barriers to basic needs, things like oppressive political regimes, economic instability, harsh climate or illness, they move. Moving to create a better life is a convincing ideal for many immigrants, when staying put means living with little control over their future. The hard part is finding a way out or in. When there's a need, there will be an enterprising person to address it. In the late 20th century, immigration from China to the US was surging. Fujian Province, where Sister Ping was from, became a major source of immigration, in particular, due to the economic hardship, political repression, and stringent family planning policies in China in the 1980s and 90s, America, despite its challenges, seemed to offer better opportunities. America's alleged meritocracy is an enticing promise, and if the situation gets dire enough, people will find a way. And if there's an opportunity to cash in on a dire situation, Americans specifically will find a way. Additionally, in 1989, President George H.W. bush issued two executive orders making it easier for Chinese nationals to gain refugee status in America. In effect, any Chinese adult could now be classified as a refugee. The influx was swift and noticeable. By 1995, the CIA estimated that 100,000 Chinese nationals were being smuggled to the US every year. In the 70s and 80s, that average was only 10,000 per year. As more and more legal immigrants began to make a life in America, more and more who weren't eligible to immigrate wanted to join them. But moving people illegally from one country to another is not easy. In fact, it can be harrowing. There are a few important things illegal immigration requires on a grand scale like this. First is an extensive network of contacts across the globe, as well as knowledge of trade routes, maritime laws, and weak borders. It also requires a savviness around authority and the confidence to outwit immigration officers. Making a business of illegal immigration demands an entrepreneurial instinct to capitalize on desperation and the kind of callousness to ignore what that desperation will tolerate. The task for most immigrant families went like this. One adult family member would arrive in New York and start working as quickly as possible. They'd connect with any friends and family already in the city, find cheap housing, and save as much money as they could in hopes of sending it back to their loved ones. One day, they'd have enough saved to pay passage for those family members to join them in America. A tale as old as America. The sending of the money wasn't so simple, though. Many illegal immigrants wanted to avoid paper trails, and the process of setting up a bank account and wiring money along the usual channels was difficult and costly. This is where Sister Ping spotted an opportunity and how she initially became involved with illegal immigration in New York. Remember how I told you she was a savvy businesswoman? So, back to Sister Ping's story. Once in New York in 1981, she opened another small variety store in New York's Chinatown, Just as she had done in Hong Kong. And she grew her business, earned money, and eventually arranged for her family to join her in the United States. At the time, the Fujianese immigrant community in New York was small, and Sister Ping's shop became a gathering place for this group of New York newcomers. But even as she became better known around the neighborhood, Sister Ping kept a low profile. She spoke gruffly and wore modest, simple clothing. Using her contacts in Fujian, she set up what's called a remittance business, which would help immigrants send their dollars to family and friends back home. In an article about Sister Ping in the New Yorker, the operation was described like this. A man working as a waiter in New York could Bring Sister Ping $1,000 on a weeknight, pay her a $10 commission, and be confident that by the next night, someone would arrive by motorbike to his parents town to deliver the cash equivalent. This service Sister Ping provided was often cheaper and faster than a transfer through the bank of China. With so many illegal immigrants arriving in the city each week, Sister Ping had a steady and growing client base. And at $10 a pop per interaction in 80s dollars, she was making a steady profit. I mean, it's what legit banks do when you want to wire money out of the country. But this remittance business wasn't the long game For Sister Ping, it was just a way in. As her network of associates and customers grew, she found herself perfectly positioned to offer another even more highly sought after service. Instead of cash, Sister Ping wanted to deliver people. Sister Ping wasn't the only one with this idea. Of course, there was a name for those who provided this smuggling service. Snakeheads. The name came from the shape formed when long lines of immigrants traveled on foot across borders. And the men and women at the head of those lines. Sister Ping started trafficking people the same way she did with her remittance business, her network. Sister Ping gathered groups of trusted associates in China, Hong Kong, New York and other ports around the world and stationed them as strategic handoff points where travelers could be passed off to the next associate. These routes were indirect and complex, which meant that they could avoid suspicion and make the travelers more difficult to track. Judging by the speed at which Sister Ping was able to amass these associates and start her operation, some have speculated that Sister Ping wasn't the first smuggler in her family. Investigators suspect her father was a prominent snakehead too. They also believe that it was a snakehead who got her to America in the first place. Whatever the reason, Sister Ping hit the ground running. She was very hands on in the beginning, and she ran her operation meticulously. The first people she brought on board were her family. The first successful runs took this route. Her sister would greet passengers in Hong Kong, provide them with false documents, and take them shopping for clothes to ensure they looked like nothing more than international tourists. Her brother managed a staging post in Guatemala where the passengers would make a stopover to avoid suspicion and complicate tracking. From there, passengers would be taken to Mexico, where they might be hidden in the false floor of a truck and driven across the border into California. Sister Ping herself would then meet the new arrivals in California and escort them personally to New York via airplane. As you can imagine, the fee for these services was steep. Sister Ping would charge anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 per traveler. Snakehead fees were so well known that the Fujianese immigrants in New York City became known as Eighteen Thousand Dollar Men after the standard rate in the Eighties. Want to hear something horrifying? That 18K amounts to more than $70,000 in today's dollars. Even then, though, and even for well to do Chinese nationals, this fee was exorbitant, which is why most immigrant hopefuls didn't pay it right away. The typical routine was for them to pay a portion up front and arrive in the US indebted to their smugglers. Paying off this debt could take years. And where there's debt, there's extortion. Many immigrants found themselves indentured in garment factories or restaurants, working off their fees under threat of violence. A flourishing criminal underworld sprang up in Chinatown as a result, and gangs found ways to capitalize, offering both protection or extortion services, depending on the client. Violent crime in New York City skyrocketed. All the while, the demand for passage kept going up.

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Sister Ping's operation grew quickly. By the late 1980s, she had established smuggling routes across multiple continents and had affiliates in Thailand, Kenya and Ecuador. As demand grew, Sister Ping became unable to supervise the process as carefully as she did in the beginning. Keeping things in the family worked well initially because trust with family members was already established and as another security, her family members would have little leverage and nowhere to hide in the event that something went wrong. Sister Ping knew that outsourcing was a tricky business, but eventually it became necessary. In the 90s, she began hiring various freelancers and affiliates to support and further expand the operation. But with that growth came cracks in that meticulously laid foundation. By the 1990s, Sister Ping's operation was becoming an empire and Sister Ping herself was something of a mogul. With the incredible profit she was bringing in from her trafficking, Sister Ping made some strategic investments that further extended her wealth. Not only did she own the small Chinese goods shop in Chinatown where she spent most of her days, but she eventually purchased the five story building that housed it for a reported $3 million. To those in the know, she seemed untouchable. But in addition to being shrewd in business, Sister Ping was also wise. She knew that when you play with fire, you will get burned. In order to make her Operation Last. In a neighborhood that was becoming increasingly violent and volatile, she needed protection for that. She knew there was only one place to look. Chinatown's biggest seat of power. The gangs. The biggest and most powerful gang in Chinatown at the time was known as the Fuqching Gang. It was a ruthless group of young Fujianese men who wore black, streaked their hair with bright colors, and patrolled the neighborhood at night in black BMWs. The Fuching Gang provided muscle to snakeheads and other powerful personalities who had trouble collecting on debts owed. Always traveling in groups of three or four, their preferred weapons were knives, hammers, and ice picks. I don't know about y', all, but this is kind of how my inner monologue reacted to the information in that paragraph. Mm. Okay, I. Hot, hot, hot. Hammers and ice picks. And then you. I mean, I want to redact all of my despicable reactions. But back on task. The gang's leader was a charismatic, muscular young man who went by the name Ake. Sister Ping and Ake certainly knew of each other in the 1980s and 90s as two of the most powerful stakeholders in Chinatown. They might have just stayed out of each other's way at first. But in 1985, when the Fukching gang was still getting its start, AKA and several other gang members attempted to rob Sister Ping. They caught wind of where she kept her cash and figured they'd try to get their hands on it. They even held her daughter at gunpoint. This first burglary attempt was unsuccessful, but AKA and his gang came back, and they eventually ended up with $20,000 of Sister Ping's money. So Sister Ping knew how powerful and dangerous the Fuching Gang was. But she also knew that the only way to protect herself and her business was to align herself with those in power. So rather than seeking revenge, she decided to form an alliance. Y', all, I am not fit to be a mafiosa, because I don't think I could let that stand. But she was, and she did. And here we go with the actual narrative. In 1991, years after the robbery, Sister Ping sent one of her business partners to visit AE at his apartment. By this time, the Fukcheng gang had gotten heavily involved in the smuggling world themselves. And Aker had become a successful snakehead in his own right. He had developed lucrative connections at ports along America's coasts, as well as a unique method for getting passengers off of their smuggling vessels and onto shore. His method was known as offloading, as the ships full of immigrants approached America's shores, but were still Safely in international waters, A K sent fishing boats manned by Fukcheng gang members to meet them. The passengers then transferred from big boat to small boat and went to shore, which eliminated the need for plane tickets or forged documents. This was a method of transportation Sister Ping had not yet attempted. And she saw an opportunity when she and AKA finally spoke. He immediately apologized for the burglary in 1985, to which Sister Ping replied that all that was in the past. They were talking business now. Real quick. Based on my theatrical knowledge of gangsters or business people, to be honest, I would have never anticipated that conversation. An apology, an acceptance. How very evolved. The two made an arrangement in which Sister Ping would secure the passengers and load them onto ships and AKA would offload the passengers onto smaller boats just outside American waters. Then AKA's men would pick them up in U Haul trucks and drive them to warehouses in Brooklyn, where they would begin their new lives in New York. In their initial agreement, Sister Ping paid Ake $750,000 for his services on their first trial run. It was the beginning of a mutually beneficial partnership. The two continued their arrangement for the next 12 months without incident. For a while, it seemed as though things could go on like that forever. But that was before the Golden Venture disaster. Now let's return to the shipwreck that started this episode. That accident on Rockaway Peninsula. That was the Golden Venture disaster, named after the vessel which ran aground that day. Most of the passengers aboard the Golden Venture began their months long journey to New York in China, years before they ended up on that Rockaway shore. Sometime in 1991, they set off on foot to the China Myanmar border, where they passed into Myanmar and prepared for a month long trek through mountains into Thailand. Once in Bangkok, they were kept in a crowded safe house for two months while they waited for Sister Ping and the other snakeheads involved in the arrangement. To secure a ship big enough for the group, the count had reached 300 passengers. Two years later, in February 1993, the ship finally departed Bangkok. And on its way it stopped by Mombasa, Kenya. Some of the passengers, having worked as sailors and fishermen, knew immediately that the vessel was too small to cross the Atlantic, not to mention carry that amount of cargo, especially human cargo. The ship's hold was a cramped, windowless space about the size of a two car garage. But the travelers had little choice. Armed gang members were there to usher them on board. And so the voyage began. 120 days from Bangkok to Mombasa, Kenya. Then around the Cape of Good Hope, one of the most dangerous sailing routes on the planet. The 300 passengers survived on a diet of rice, peanuts, dirty water and spoiled food. There was one bathroom aboard and strict rules. Passengers could emerge to the deck only when they were safely in international waters. Otherwise they were to remain in the cramped, sweltering hold to avoid any chance of being seen. There were reports of beatings by the gang enforcers on board and several incidents of rape. I don't know if the passengers had bargained for all this hardship, but imagine knowing it might be like this and still thinking, yes, I'll take that over this. The passengers came mostly from the same villages in Fujian Province that had brought Sister Ping to America. Some of them could have been classified as refugees. But most were driven by the promise that in one year in America, they could make what it would take them a decade to earn. Back against the odds, the Golden Venture survived the treacherous four month journey to arrive on the east coast of the United States in June 1993. The plan was for a to offload the ship in the Atlantic and bring the passengers ashore on smaller boats, as he had done for Sister Ping so many times before. But in the months preceding the Golden Ventures arrival, trouble had been brewing inside his gang. Disgruntled gang members were jealous of Ake's earnings and formed their own rival gang. Violence broke out and police took notice, causing a Kae to flee to China to avoid arrest. So by the time the Golden Venture arrived, there was no one there to transport the passengers. And let's remember again how desperate these men, women and children must have been. For four months they'd been at sea, starving, confined to a sweltering 20 by 40 foot metal cargo hold. America. Freedom. Their futures were so close they could touch them. No one was coming to bring them to shore safely. If they were discovered, so be it. The crew decided to run the ship aground in the Rockaways. Which brings us back to the scene that started our story. Panic stricken passengers jumping 20ft overboard into the frigid water. Ten passengers died in their attempt to reach the shore. 276 were taken into custody to await their fate in America. The publicity of the incident was bad news for Sister Ping. Whether she realized it or not, her business relied on secret keeping and evasion. Two things she was very good at. Similar tragedies had happened before. It's possible that even as Sister Ping watched the crash footage on the morning news, it felt like business as usual. But what she didn't know was that the FBI had been onto Sister Ping for years. They were working on a case against her, but lacked enough direct evidence to officially make an arrest. This might have just been the missing piece. After the Golden Venture disaster, investigators began methodically closing in. A short time later, a team of FBI agents raided the large Chinatown building Sister Ping owned. They didn't find Sister Ping herself, but what they did find was possibly even more valuable. It was a trove of incriminating evidence, a laminating machine, fake passports, forged driver's licenses, bogus security cards, and stacks of employment authorization forms. It was, as prosecutors would later call it, the tools of an alien smuggling trade. But unfortunately for them, Sister Ping had already left the country. On September 20, 1994, she entered Hong Kong using her own passport. And from that moment on, it was as if she had disappeared. At least on paper. For the next four years, Sister Ping continued her lucrative smuggling operations from the comfort of her family's home in China. Direct shipments to US Shores had become too risky after the Golden Venture. But Sister Ping simply adapted. She began rerouting human cargo through Central and South America. By now, US Authorities knew where she was and they knew she was still in operation. But they couldn't touch her. China had no extradition treaty with the United States. She remained frustratingly beyond their legal reach. But the FBI wasn't giving up. Agents assumed that if Sister Ping was still in business, she was still traveling and likely under false identities. If they could figure out what these identities were, maybe they'd have a shot at intercepting her. They began working with informants in Fujian, painstakingly assembling a family tree in hopes of catching her traveling under one of her family members names. It was a long shot, but In April of 2000, US authorities in Hong Kong received a tip that Sister Ping's son had a ticket on an upcoming Korean Air flight. Hong Kong police mobilized, sending dozens of officers to the airport and undercover detectives to stake out the Korean Air desk. And their patience paid off when the day of the flight arrived. There she was, a stout woman who resembled Sister Ping, standing near the check in counter. Officers closed in and when they searched her purse, they found three Belizean passports that didn't belong to her, a fistful of loose passport photos, and $31,000 in neat stacks of US currency. Finally, after all these years evading notice, Sister Ping was in custody.

[Unknown]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

Big.

[Unknown]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

Once extradited back to the US Sister Ping remained calm, polite, even optimistic. According to an article from the New Yorker, she was adamant that she didn't do anything wrong and that as soon as she spoke to the judge in New York, she would be released. I guess after decades outsmarting the legal system, you'd start to feel pretty untouchable. Her trial began in May of 2005 and lasted a month. The prosecution described her as, quote, one of the most powerful and most successful alien smugglers of our time. But her defense attorney insisted she was nothing but a misunderstood businesswoman whose only offense was running an underground banking operation. He called her the tragic scapegoat of a paranoid system, but the jury didn't buy it. On June 22, 2005, Sister Ping was found guilty of conspiracy to smuggle aliens, money laundering and trafficking ransom. At her sentencing hearing, she gave an impassioned hour long speech explaining how in every major story discussed at trial, she was the victim and how the evidence in the trial had been faked. She said, everybody can tell you that Sister Ping is working in the store every day. When she finally finished, the judge made a brief and exasperated comment about how her version of events defies belief and handed down the maximum sentence of 35 years in prison, as Sister Ping was led out of the courtroom, she smiled and waved at her family and supporters. And Sister Ping had many, many supporters. Which brings me to one of the most fascinating elements of this story. Sister Ping's identity in the history books. Over two decades, Sister Ping made an estimated $40 million bringing desperate Chinese men, women, and children into America illegally. She was the orchestrator of a massive underground network that stretched across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Dozens and dozens of people died on her watch. Many people wouldn't hesitate to call her a ruthless kingpin with little regard for human life, who turned human desperation into profit. But plenty of others would call her a hero. The Fujianese community in Chinatown was heartbroken at the news of her arrest. To many, it felt like Robin Hood was being put on trial. The World Journal reported that villagers in Sister Ping's hometown volunteered to do prison time on her behalf. They described her as a living Buddha. For them, there was no moral ambiguity in what she was doing. The fees she demanded, the tactics she used, the danger she put them in on their journeys across the globe, all were worth it for the promise of a future in America. Depending on who you ask, she's either the villain or the hero of the story. Speaking of those supporters, there's one more question you might be wondering. What became of the 276 men, women, and children who survived the Golden Venture incident. After making it to shore that night, all of the passengers were eventually taken into custody. The goal for all of them was to be granted asylum in the United States. But because the incident had thrown the US Immigration system into such an unfavorable light, the government was highly selective. Only 10% of them were granted asylum. About half of the remaining passengers were deported, and the rest found themselves trapped in an immigration limbo, fighting their cases for years from county jails and detention facilities around the country. In 1997, after spending nearly four years behind bars, the remaining 53 passengers received a presidential pardon from Bill Clinton. But it was conditional. They weren't totally free to go. They were placed on, quote, humanitarian parole. This meant that they were allowed to stay in America, work and build a life. But they were not given legal permanent residence or even the chance to work toward it. And worst of all, they were subject to deportation any day. The passengers eventually found homes across the country, started working, got married, and grew families. But constantly hanging over them was the knowledge that they could be sent away at any time. The lives they were building could vanish at any moment. According to reporting in the New Yorker and the World Journal. Several of the Golden Venture passengers who had been deported have since returned to America illegally. Disasters like the Golden Venture are not a deterrent. Considering the stakes, incidents like this are an acceptable risk. And where there are desperate migrants, there will be snakeheads to guide their passage. It's believed that Sister Ping's family carried on the business after her imprisonment, but certainly without her panache. In 2014, after serving just 14 years of her 35 year sentence, Sister Ping died of pancreatic cancer. Thousands of mourners attended her funeral on Canal street in Manhattan. I'd like to shout out the excellent sources I relied on for this two articles for the New Yorker by Patrick Radden Keefe titled the Snakehead and A Path out of Purgatory. The first gives a fantastic look at Sister Ping's rise to power and the economic forces that fueled illegal immigration in the 80s and 90s. The second piece explores the aftermath of the Golden Venture tragedy and the reverberations it's still causing in American immigration policy today. If you're interested in learning more, I recommend checking out Patrick Radden Keefe's book, also called the Snakehead, for an even deeper dive into Sister Ping's life and crimes. For more information about this case and others we cover on the show, visit diversionaudio.com the greatest true Crime Stories Ever Told is a production of Diversion Audio. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer and I hosted this episode. This episode was written by Grace Heerman. Our show is produced by Leo Culp and edited by Antonio Enriquez. Theme music by Tyler Cash, executive produced by Scott Waxman. And one more thing before I go, if you haven't already, I'll Love youe Forever if you get my true crime book Madame the Life and Crimes of Harlem's Underground Racketeer Stephanie Sinclair. Actually, if you like the story of Sister Ping, you might like Stephanie Sinclair's even more. There's a link to do it at your favorite retailer in our show's notes.

[Unknown]

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[Ryan Reynolds]

This is an iHeart podcast.