Cold case files On Jan. 12, 1991, six men playing cards in an after-hours social club were shot at close range, execution-style, in what became known as the Boston Chinatown Massacre.
Thirty-five years later, a suspect in the deadly shooting remains at large, and investigators hope someone will come forward with information about his whereabouts.
The FBI is offering a $30,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Hung Tien Pham, 65.
At the time of the murders, Pham was a known associate of the Ping On crime syndicate and had ties to Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Toronto, investigators said.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 12, Pham and two other men went into the club on Tyler Street and allegedly gunned down the six men as they played cards.
Five of the men — Chung Wah Son, 58; Van Tran, 31; Man Cheung, 55; David Quang Lam, 32; and Cuong Khanh Luu, 26 — died.
A sixth victim, Pak Wing Lee, survived and identified Pham and two other men — Nam The Tham and Siny Van Tran — as the shooters, officials said.
Tham and Tran were apprehended in China in 1998 and were ultimately convicted of the slayings.
Prosecutors said the three gunmen burst into the club and shouted “Robbery! Don’t move.” The men playing cards were ordered to drop to their knees and clasp their hands behind their necks.
Suddenly, Lee heard the sound of shots firing. When the noise stopped, Lee thought he had been spared. Then he heard one of the men on his knees promise to be a “horse” or a “dog” if the gunmen let him live.
They let him go, then Lee felt the barrel of a gun on the back of his head, heard a shot, and lost consciousness. But the bullet broke into fragments without penetrating his brain, prosecutors said.
Tran, who was also known as “Toothless Wah,” smiled and laughed as the judge sentenced him and Tham to five consecutive life terms in October 2005, the Globe reported.
Pham, however, has continued to elude authorities.
Pham has been described as having black hair and brown eyes, and at the time of the murders stood about 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed approximately 115 to 135 pounds.
After the murders, Pham went to Atlantic City, N.J., to gamble and then went to New York City, where he boarded a flight to Hong Kong. He was last seen in Thailand in the mid- to late-1990s, investigators said.
Pham was known to be a “big spender” who liked flashy cars and sipping cognac, according to the FBI. He speaks Vietnamese, Chinese, and English and is known to have traveled to Canada, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Hong Kong.
Anyone with information about Pham’s whereabouts is urged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
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