CONTACT:	United States Attorney Southern District of New York   YUSILL SCRIBNER REBEKAH CARMICHAEL JANICE OH PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE (212) 637-2600
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 22, 2008

MICHAEL J. GARCIA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CAO, YI GUO was found guilty today of assaulting a witness in a federal criminal case by a jury after a weeklong trial before United States District Judge SIDNEY H. STEIN. As established by the evidence at trial and statements made in open court: CAO, 40, of Brooklyn, New York, assaulted a witness who testified during a federal criminal trial in the Southern District of New York, United States v. Hui Chen, et al, at the conclusion of which four defendants were convicted.

CAO was the cousin and close friend of the lead defendant in that trial. On March 18, 2008, CAO forced the witness to stop his passenger van and then dragged the witness out of the van. After he pulled the witness to the ground, CAO repeatedly punched and kicked the witness and struck him in the head with a walkie-talkie.

Following the jury’s verdict, United States District Judge Sidney H. Stein denied CAO’s bail application and continued his detention pending sentencing, which is scheduled for January 9, 2009.

Mr. GARCIA praised the work of the Asian Criminal Enterprise Task Force, which is comprised of agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and detectives of the New York City Police Department, in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

Assistant United States Attorneys JONATHAN B. NEW and RICHARD DADDARIO are in charge of the prosecution.

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