Johnny Eng

Johnny Eng (born ca. 1958) (Chinese: 伍少衡; Jyutping: ng5 siu3 hang4), also known as Onionhead (Chinese: 蔥頭; Jyutping: cung1 tau4) or Machinegun Johnny,^[1] is a Chinese-American gang leader and drug trafficker. Eng was the former head (dai-lo) of the Flying Dragons gang in New York City.

Johnny Eng
Born	c. 1958 (age 66–67) Hong Kong
Other names	Onionhead, Machinegun Johnny
Occupation	Triad member
Spouse	Lori Eng (d. 2011)
Conviction	14 counts of heroin smuggling

Criminal history

Eng was arrested at least five times in the 1970s on various criminal charges.^[1] In 1983, Eng became the leader of the Flying Dragons.^[2] By 1988, he had moved into the heroin trade in Manhattan's Chinatown. A confidential report issued by the Justice Department called Eng "one of the five major heroin dealers in New York City."^[1]

Eng, a native of Hong Kong,^[3] fled back there in 1989 to avoid prosecution.^[1] He was arrested there later that year. Eng fought extradition for nearly three years, but he was brought to the United States in 1991.^[4] In December 1992, Eng was convicted of 14 counts of heroin smuggling and conspiracy.^[3]

In March 1993, Eng was sentenced to 24 years in prison and fined $3,500,000 by Federal District Court judge Reena Raggi.^[5] The government also confiscated Eng's 200-acre estate in Newfoundland, Pennsylvania, which was reported to have been used for machine-gun practice by members of the Flying Dragons.^[6][7] He was released several years early on 8 November 2010.

Murder of wife

On July 13, 2011, Eng's wife, Lori Eng (Chinese: 伍羅美玲), was fatally shot by another Flying Dragons member, David Chea (Chinese: 謝錦徵), at her apartment in Flushing, Queens, New York. Chea then committed suicide.^[8]