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The survivors were taken into custody by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and were held in various prisons throughout the U.S. while they applied for the right of asylum. Roughly 10% were granted asylum after U.S. Representative Bill Goodling entreated President Bill Clinton; minors were released, while about half the remainder were deported (some being accepted by South American countries). Some remained in immigration prison for years fighting their cases, the majority of which were held in York, Pennsylvania. The final 52 persons were released by President Clinton on February 27, 1997, after four years in prison. Golden Venture, dir. Peter Cohn, Hillcrest Films, 2006
This case was an early test of the system of detaining in prisons, a practice that continues in the U.S., Australia, and the United Kingdom. It was also notable because some detainees created more than 10,000 folk art sculptures or Chinese paper folding, papier-mâché, and recycled materials while in York County Prison; these were later exhibited throughout the U.S. and sold to offset legal costs.
The immigrants were held in the cramped hold of the freighter and were forced to live on a diet of rice, peanuts, dirty water, and spoiled food as it sailed on its 4-month voyage to New York City. There were beatings by the gang enforcers on board and several incidents of rape.
The ship was supposed to rendezvous with smaller vessels before landing to help move some of the immigrants and lessen the load. This did not happen due to the gang in charge being arrested around that time. The smugglers on board directed the ship to New York City. Golden Venture ran aground on the beach at Fort Tilden in Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York, on June 6, 1993, at around 2 a.m. after a mutiny of sorts by one smuggler who had locked up the captain.Faison, Seth. 12 Indicted on Charges of Smuggling Aliens. The New York Times – June 22, 1993
Some remained in immigration prison for years fighting their cases, 119 in York, Pennsylvania in a medium security prison. It was argued that this tactic was a method of isolating the prisoners from lawyers and rights groups. A number of individuals in York volunteered their time as legal aid, and in the last years there was a weekly vigil held outside the prison.
Goodling, and later Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey, would introduce private members' bills in Congress with the aim of getting legal residency status for the survivors. While pending, the bills protected the survivors from deportation.
One of those behind Golden Venture was a Chinese gang leader named Guo Liang Chi, known mainly by his street name of Ah Kay.Faison, Seth. Chinatown Gang Leader to Be Returned to U.S. The New York Times – April 12, 1994 He was the leader of the Fuk Ching gang, which up to early 1993, had been the most powerful Asian gang in New York City.Faison, Seth. 18 Are Indicted In Smuggling Of Immigrants. The New York Times – September 30, 1993 A Chinese gangster who smuggled people to other countries, or a snakehead, he also had a reputation as a ruthless gangster who tortured and killed numerous people throughout his career. Kay was arrested in Hong Kong and eventually extradited to the U.S.. Federal investigators acknowledged that they were less interested in prosecuting Guo than in hearing what he had to say. After he cooperated with the US government in at least 15 different federal criminal cases over a period of many years, including the prosecution of 35 Chinatown gang members, he eventually received a light sentence.
By contrast, on June 22, 2005, Sister Ping (known within some communities as "Sister Ping" or "Big Sister Ping") was convicted for smuggling illegal immigrants and for money laundering from this case. Ah Kay testified against her during her May–June 2005 trial. Cheng became a snakehead, primarily as an investor, charging up to per person for the voyage from Asia to New York City in the suffocating hold of the rogue vessel. Although Cheng provided cash to buy the aging vessel in Thailand, trial evidence showed that she did not view Golden Venture's voyage as an important business deal,Preston, Julia. Prosecutors Say Defendant in Immigrant Smuggling Case Ran an Underground Empire. The New York Times – May 23, 2005 even though the gross take for all involved would have been around $8.5 million – if all of the immigrants aboard had paid or been ransomed by their families. She owned restaurants, a clothing store, real estate in Chinatown, apartments in Hong Kong, and a farm in South Africa. Evidence revealed that her main, multimillion-dollar business was an underground banking network that stretched from New York to Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China. On March 17, 2006, she was sentenced to the maximum of 35 years in federal prison despite her protests that she was forced to carry out the work by Triad gangs. Judge Reena Raggi pointed out the inhumane travel conditions forced on the immigrants and her use of gangsters to collect and in justifying the sentence.Keefe, Patrick Radden. "The Snakehead: The Criminal Odyssey of Chinatown's Sister Ping". The New Yorker. April 24, 2006
Survivors in INS custody
The survivors, 262 men, 24 women, and 14 children, were taken into custody by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)—six escaped—and were held in various prisons throughout the U.S. while they applied for the right of asylum. Roughly 10% were granted asylum after Pennsylvania congressman Bill Goodling entreated President Bill Clinton; minors were released, while about half the remainder were deported (some being accepted by South American countries).
Criminal leaders
Lee Peng Fei, a Taiwanese citizen also known as Lee Hsiao Kuang and Char Lee, was described at his trial as the 'mastermind' behind Golden Venture. He had not been on board the ship but had ordered the grounding from his Chinatown apartment. He was arrested in Thailand and later sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Aftermath
Renamed United Caribbean and used for a while as a cargo vessel in the Caribbean, the ship was later purchased by Palm Beach County for $60,000 and deliberately sunk August 22, 2000 as an artificial reef in 70 feet of water about one mile off the south coast of Florida near Boca Raton Inlet.Meadows, Karin. Golden Venture sinks to form artificial reef. Sarasota Herald Tribune (AP) - August 23, 2000. p. 5B The ship, which had been built in 1969, became part of the Palm Beach Artificial Reef Program. Wrecks - Fort Lauderdale, FL . Scuba Network This wreck is a scuba diving destination and has now broken into three pieces, courtesy of the 2004 hurricanes Frances and Hurricane Jeanne. South Florida & Boca Raton diving wrecks . Sunstar Aquatic Services
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Categories: Shipwrecks In The Atlantic Ocean, Shipwrecks Of The Florida Coast, International Maritime Incidents, Immigration To The United States, Rockaway, Queens, Maritime Incidents In 1993, Refugees In The United States, Human Rights In The United States, Triad, Scuttled Vessels, 1969 Ships, Illegal Immigration To The United States, Chinese-american History, Asian-american-related Controversies
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