From Rappler/Newsbreak (Mar 29): US gun smuggling: Who is Dr Wilson S. Lim?
![THE BIG 4. (From top left to right) alleged Chinatown gang leader Raymond Chow, former San Francisco School Board member Keith Jackson, California State Senator Leland Yee, and Dr Wilson Lim are indicted on federal corruption and conspiracy to smuggle weapons to the United States. Photo from Chow's Facebook, Lowell High School in San Francisco and Agence France-Presse]( "THE BIG 4. (From top left to right) alleged Chinatown gang leader Raymond Chow, former San Francisco School Board member Keith Jackson, California State Senator Leland Yee, and Dr Wilson Lim (not pictured) are indicted on federal corruption and conspiracy to smuggle weapons to the United States. Photo from Chow's Facebook, Lowell High School in San Francisco and Agence France-Presse")
Who is Wilson Lim? And how is he connected to arrested California State Senator Leland Yee, the lawmaker with thousands of loyal Filipino-American constituents who helped him get elected to office?
Northern California court documents show that the mysterious dentist was going through some money problems with his business.
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The agent – only referred to as "UCE 4599" in the affidavit – asked Yee what type of weapons Lim's contact in thePhilippines
http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/54156-us-gun-smuggling-wilson-lim
THE BIG 4. (From top left to right) alleged Chinatown gang leader Raymond Chow, former San Francisco School Board member Keith Jackson, California State Senator Leland Yee, and Dr Wilson Lim are indicted on federal corruption and conspiracy to smuggle weapons to the United States. Photo from Chow's Facebook, Lowell High School in San Francisco
Who is Wilson Lim? And how is he connected to arrested California State Senator Leland Yee, the lawmaker with thousands of loyal Filipino-American constituents who helped him get elected to office?
According to a complaint affidavit submitted by US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent Emmanuel V Pascua – following a 5-year undercover investigation – at least two Filipinos are involved in a scheme to smuggle illegal firearms allegedly worth $2 million. One of them is named Dr Wilson Sy Lim.
The affidavit detailed an ambitious scheme to purchase illegal weapons in the southern Philippines and smuggle them to ports in the US then on to Italy and North Africa . Lim, it turns out, was a key link of Yee to rebel groups and other illegal arms dealers in the Philippines
Among 26 defendants, Lim – with the exception of 8 – has been arrested for "Conspiracy to Traffic in Firearms Without a License, and to Illegally Import Firearms."
Yee was known to be a progressive Democrat who pushed for gun control bills. He was also an ally of Filipino-Americans who wanted equal benefits for Filipino World War II veterans and who sought better working conditions for themselves.
Invisible, wealthy dentist
The California Board of Dentistry shows that Lim is a legitimate dentist, but the reviews on popular website yelp.comshow that many of his customers are less-than-happy with his practice. “If there was a zero star, this guy will get it,” Richard W’s review read. “Wilson Lim is a fraud,” he added. “And his accountant will bill your insurance for everything and things that you never knew about.”
Several sources told Rappler Dr Lim is a mysterious personality in Filipino-American community circles. He would often show up at community events and not say much. Despite being a dentist, an appointed county commissioner and one of the 4 main suspects named in the Yee investigation – along with Keith Jackson (former San Francisco School Board member) and alleged Chinatown gang leader Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow – his online footprint is minuscule.
Lim was a member of several Filipino associations in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Filipino American Chamber of Commerce in San Mateo County
But property records reveal that the Lim couple used lived a more luxurious lifestyle. In 2005 owned at least 2 multi-million dollar properties in the wealthy Bay Area community of Hillsborough , California
He and his wife Wilma were listed as property owners of a home at 542 Craig Road worth $1.6 million (or about P71.7 million) and another property on 308 Darrell Road worth $2,338,000 (or P104,906,600) at the time of sale in 2005.
US sources told Rappler Lim suffered a major heart attack in 2011.
According to the San Jose Mercury News, Lim was in a coma for a month, and couldn’t make mortgage payments on his house. He initially filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2013and settled it earlier this March, coinciding with the time Lim, Yee, and Jackson met at a San Francisco restaurant to discuss their plans to smuggle the rifles outside of the Philippines
Chapter 11 bankruptcy is normally filed when a business is unable to pay its debtors, but allows owners to continue to operate their business and pay back their debtors over time.
Gun trail
Lim was quoted in the affidavit as saying that it was his nephew, whom he did not identify, who would help obtain the weapons. Lim also said an unnamed Philippine military captain would provide the weapons to his nephew.
In the affidavit, Yee described Lim as being "originally from the Mindanao region of the Philippines Mindanao was largely populated by Muslim rebel groups who were fighting the federal government" and that Muslim rebels had no problem "kidnapping individuals, killing individuals and extorting them for ransom." He visited Mindanao about two years ago upon the invitiation of "the Mindanao government." When he arrived, he was "surrounded by numerous armed guards carrying automatic rifles."
Previously, Lim's contact for weapons, a "Philippine citizen," sold guns to individuals from Florida port of Cagayan de Oro , the largest port in Mindanao .
Unidentified individuals from Florida
An undercover agent told Yee he had holding companies in the Port of Newark in New Jersey Philippines and ship them back to Newark Sicily and then on to North Africa .
The agent – only referred to as "UCE 4599" in the affidavit – asked Yee what type of weapons Lim's contact in the
A meeting was arranged in a San Francisco
When asked what kinds of weapons he had access to, Lim replied, "All kinds of things, we just have to look for it." The undercover agent, who was posing as the buyer of the weapons, would furnish a list of weapons he wanted to Jackson, Yee's longtime campaign adviser and school board member. Jackson
Lim would not go to the Philippines
Yee and Lim told the agent they needed time to "set up the infrastructure necessary to complete the weapons deal." Yee said, "I want to protect the entire enterprise" and needed to shield Lim, his contact, and anyone else involved in the weapons deal. He wanted to build in "several layers of protection to shield Lim and anyone else who may be involved with the weapons deal," Yee was quoted as saying in the affidavit.
When asked about major Muslim organizations in Mindanao , Yee mentioned the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the affidavit, and explained there were several factions within it. Lim said he would meet with “the head of a Muslim group” without specifying if it was a member of the MILF or some other Muslim group. Neither was the MILF directly linked to the arms deal during their conversations.
On March 14, 2014, Yee met with 3 men in another restaurant in San Francisco
Instead of smuggling all $2 million worth of weapons to the US
Yee’s lawyer said he plans to plead not guilty on 6 counts of defrauding the public of honest services, and one count of conspiracy to traffic firearms.
Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said on Saturday, March 29, that she would ask Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to check whether Yee had actually visited the Philippines
http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/54156-us-gun-smuggling-wilson-lim