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United States Attorney Scott N. Schools announced that Joseph Hokai Tang of Eugene, Oregon made his initial appearances in federal court in San Francisco on December 17, 2007 before United States Magistrate Judge Maria-Elena James and United States District Judge Marilyn Hall Patel. A federal grand jury in San Francisco had previously indicted Mr. Tang on charges of mail and wire fraud in connection with the sale and consignment of fine violins, violas, and bows.
According to the indictment, Mr. Tang, 28, is alleged to have made a number of misrepresentations in connection with the sale and consignment of fine violins, violas, and bows. The indictment alleges that Mr. Tang made misrepresentations concerning:
· the ownership, quality, and authenticity of violins, violas, and bows which he was selling;
· the condition and non-receipt of instruments which he received;
· the refund of money to customers when in fact he did not refund such money;
· the payment of money pursuant to consignment agreements when in fact he failed to make such payments;
The maximum statutory penalty for each count of mail fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1341, and wire fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 is 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000, plus restitution if appropriate. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
An indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Mr. Tang must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Christina Hua is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Ana Guerra and Wilson Wong. The prosecution is the result of a two and a half year investigation by the United States Postal Inspection Service.
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