Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow is one of 29 defendants charged in a public corruption scandal along with suspended State Senator Leland Yee.
Meantime, the FBI's interest has expanded to San Francisco City Hall.
The FBI seems to be casting a wide net in its investigation. A reliable source told ABC7 News that the FBI wants to reach out to city politicians who know the major players in the case and that this is actually a routine follow up to that investigation. There is a superseding indictment that federal prosecutors plan to release later. There may be more charges and or arrests, so the FBI investigation is far from over.
Across Civic Center at City Hall, word was spreading that the FBI had contacted members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors asking to meet with them about the corruptions investigation.
San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos told ABC7 News he declined.
"If they want to talk with me or if they want to subpoena me, I'm be happy to do that, but I just don't think it's really worth their time to talk with every elected official in the state of California," Avalos said.
The FBI also wants to talk to board president David Chiu. He was once threatened by Chow.
Chiu helped kill Chinatown's night market when Chow became its manager. The reputed gangster took out an ad in Chinese newspapers saying, Chiu was like a "corpse eating a vegetarian dinner."
"Supervisor Chiu did receive some police protection for a couple of months after that incident so he may have a little bit more history there, but I don't know that there's anything to add to their particular case," Chiu's aide Judson True said.
Meantime, the arraignments continued at the federal building. Chow was the epitome of confidence as he sat in the jury box chatting with his attorneys during his arraignment.
The self-described reformed gangster is charged with money laundering and dealing in stolen property.
His lawyers believe most of the 29 defendants will say they were illegally entrapped by the FBI, but they emphasized entrapment won't be part of Chow's defense.
"Our defense theory based on the investigation we have is that there was no entrapment because he didn't do anything wrong," Defense Attorney Curtis Briggs said.
Brandon Jackson was also arraigned on Tuesday. Jackson is the 28-year-old son of another defendant who was a former school board president named Keith Jackson.
Jackson is accused of arms dealing and murder for hire and was extradited from Connecticut where he was arrested.
A third defendant named Marlon Sullivan was transported from New Jersey where he was taken into custody.
Sullivan is charged with drugs and weapons trafficking as well as murder for hire.
Both pleaded not guilty. Sullivan's attorney asked the public not to rush to judgment.
"Mr. Sullivan has been a boxing promoter and sports agent. I think that he is very bright young man, an educated young man. I know he has a masters degree with respect to sports management," Robinson said.
ABC7 News was told that the meetings with the FBI are strictly voluntary. They have asked for 45 minutes with each of the supervisors and the mayor's office told us they have yet to be contacted.
