May 10, 2022
NEW YORK CITY—Four men have been arrested and charged for plotting and carrying out a hit against a business rival who was shot in the back of the head while leaving a New York City karaoke bar back in 2019.
Qing Ming Yu, 54; aka Allen Yu, Antony Arbeu; 34, You You, 34, aka “Eddie,” and Zhe Zhang; 34, were charged on Tuesday, May 10, for the death of 31-year-old Xin Gu, a business rival of Yu, reports the Daily Mail.
According to prosecutors, former CEO of Amaco Management & Consulting Inc. Qing Ming Yu, had ordered his nephew, Eddie, to kill Gu, who was once Yu’s apprentice but had broken out on his own and won over several contracts supposedly promised to Yu’s firm.
The 54-year-old suspect was arrested on Tuesday inside his eight-bedroom mansion on Long Island, estimated to be worth $2.4 million, according to the Daily Mail.
“As alleged, the defendants callously used gun violence to resolve a business dispute, reducing the value of a man’s life to a dollar figure, and bringing trauma, and mourning to the community,” stated U.S. Prosecutor Breon Peace.
“Prosecuting killers will always be a top priority for this office—whether the defendant pulls the trigger, or pays someone else to do his dirty work for him.”
Gu (the victim) began working for Yu in 2015 at Amaco, a Manhattan-based development company that managed the renovation of retail projects, reports the Daily Mail.
According to the FBI, Gu worked for Yu for three years but felt undercompensated for his work, so he decided to start his own company where many of Yu’s clients soon followed.
54-year-old Yu became increasingly upset over multiple project losses, especially over $1 million in a project he had already sunk $900,000 into, according to a series of company memos and correspondences.
Yu attempted to cancel building permits, block supply lines, and lure subcontractors away from Gu to hinder his success. However, efforts failed and Amaco was forced to shut down in 2018.
According to prosecutors, that’s when Yu reached out to his nephew, who then enlisted the help of Zhang and Abreu to tail Gu on February 12, 2019, as the successful developer was celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year with more than 100 people.
Gu eventually attended an after-party at a karaoke bar in Flushing, and when he decided to head home and call an Uber, Abreu allegedly ran up behind him and shot Gu in the back of the head, according to the Daily Mail.
When Gu hit the ground, Abreu stood over him and shot him multiple times as the Uber driver sped off. After the shooting, the gunmen believed to be Abreu jumped into a white 2003 Honda Accord, which was allegedly driven by Zhang.
Eddie was arrested in his home at Plainview, New York, Zhang was arrested in his home in Arcadia, California, and Abreu was already in custody for an unrelated crime.
If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison, or possibly the death penalty.
“As alleged, Qing Ming Yu hired his nephew to murder his perceived business rival. His conduct went well beyond poor business practice demonstrating a callous disregard for human life.
As a direct result of the action we have taken with our partners today, Qing Ming Yu and everyone involved in the plot won’t have to worry about business anymore – as they face justice for their alleged crimes and the possibility of life in prison,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.
Feature Screenshots via NYPD