Ft Bragg Advocate Staff
06/25/2009

Between May 20 and May 27, six Fish and Game wardens watched as 11
alleged abalone poachers plied their craft. Under the leadership of
main investigating Warden Dave Bess of Sacramento, the 11 were
arrested and now await their fate, the District Attorney's Office
reports.

In a brief interview Monday with Tim Stoen, the chief Deputy District
Attorney for the coast, it was learned that the 11 defendants will be
split into two groups. One group of six will be tried in Ukiah while
the remaining five will be sent to Ten Mile Court in Fort Bragg. On
June 29 the Fort Bragg group will appear in Judge Lehan's Ten Mile
Court and decide on a mutually agreeable date for a preliminary
hearing. The Ukiah group will follow that same process on July 2.

The defendants are Chengri Jin, Jing Yu Jin, Jing Hua Jin, Yuang Feng
Li and Chengzhe Piao, all of Los Angeles, Haiyu Li of Chicago, Ming X
Jin and Hogen Taz, both of Santa Clara, Donghu Qian, of Richmond,
Chengguo Piao of Chicago, and Guang Yuan Cui of San Jose.
They will be facing charges for commercial abalone taking (166
total), excessive abalone taking, possessing undersized abalone,
excessive possessing of abalone, refusing to display, and using
another's license and abalone report card. All are being charged as
felonies but each defendant will also be tried on misdemeanor charges
independently.
Some of the abalone were found in Room 144 of the Surf Motel in Fort
Bragg. The person who checked into the motel is from Sacramento.

All 11 defendants are also charged with an overriding charge of
felony conspiracy to commit a crime.