Fairfax man pleads guilty to murder-for-hire scheme as payback for stolen cigarettes

STAFFORD — Xing Xiao, aka Andy, of Fairfax, pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to hire a hitman to murder someone he believed had stolen more than 15,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes from him.

Xiao, 32, is the last of 14 people charged in a 14-month investigation started by the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office that involved individuals paying or trading more than $8 million, nearly 40 firearms and drugs to purchase 388,000 cartons — totaling more than 77 million contraband cigarettes — to sell in New York.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Charles E. Jett, Stafford County sheriff; and Willie Brownlee, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, made the announcement after the Xiao’s plea was accepted by United States District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee.

“The defendants admitted that they sold illegal cigarettes, dealt drugs, guns and even hired someone for murder,” said MacBride. “The work of these dedicated law enforcement officers has made our community safer.”

Jett said the case is the result of several law enforcement agencies working together to stop a very dangerous criminal enterprise.

“The dedicated detectives and agents involved in this case faced numerous life-threatening situations and the citizens of this region can be proud of all their efforts,” said Jett.

They include the individuals and agencies above including the ATF, the Stafford County Sheriff's Office and the Fairfax County Police Department.

As a result, 14 people are behind bars and a murder plot was disrupted, said Brownlee.

According to court records, in May 2009 Xiao purchased or traded for 15,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes, which undercover law enforcement had placed in a rented storage facility in Stafford. Later, Xiao told the agents that someone had stolen the contraband from the storage facility, and through a series of discussions Xiao contracted with the undercover agents to hire a hitman to kill the man suspected of the theft, along with the man’s wife.

Xiao was incarcerated from June 2009 to September 2009, and a co-conspirator — Chen X. Jiang, aka Jay, 21, of Brooklyn, N.Y. — admitted in court that he continued to work with the undercover agents in identifying the intended targets. In October 2009, Jiang paid the undercover agent posing as a hitman $7,000 on Xiao’s behalf, with a promise of $8,000 to come in the future.

On Tuesday, Xiao pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison; distributing 50 grams or more of cocaine base, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison; and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years and a maximum of life and runs consecutive to any other sentence.

Xiao is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21.

Jiang pleaded guilty earlier this week to the murder-for-hire and additional charges. He will be sentenced June 24.

A co-conspirator of Jiang’s, Qin Bing Li, aka Leo, 25, of Brooklyn, N.Y., pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 1-Benzylpiperazine and will be sentenced June 4.

The following individuals previously pleaded guilty to trafficking contraband cigarettes in this case:

■ Wen Mei Zhou, aka Joyce, 33, of Hampton, Va.
■ Ada Mei Lam, aka Mei, 46, of Fairfax, Va.
■ Ting Seng Lin, aka Sam, 44, of Springfield, Va.
■ Qui Xia Chen, aka Chanel, 30, of Annandale, Va.
■ Tony Pong, 44, of Falls Church, Va.
■ Lin Xiao, aka Leo, 29, of Centreville, Va.
■ Wen Chuan Chen, aka Chan, 38, of Germantown, Md.
■ Gou Wu Lin, aka Racky, 40 of Woodbridge, Va.
■ Pin Zong Lin, aka Lee, 36, of Washington, D.C.

— Tracy Bell from press release