Sports agent involved in larger investigation nabbed in West Windsor, $275,000 seized

The catch here is that they’re not, on Monday, agents had an undercover meeting with one member of a larger pool of 26 defendants involved in a California investigation involving a California State Senator and a leader of Chinese organized crime in San Francisco.

The multi-agency effort that included the Mercer County Task Force and FBI Agents resulted in the arrest of Marlon Sullivan, 29, of San Francisco and the seizure of $275,000.

The Monday meeting at a Route 1 West Windsor hotel established that Sullivan would be provided with 10 kilograms of cocaine in exchange for $275,000, which Sullivan handed over before he even received the drugs. On Wednesday, at 7 a.m., agents met at the same hotel room where Sullivan was given 10 kilograms of inert cocaine. After the deal was done, agents entered the room with a key and placed the 29-year-old under arrest without incident.

‘This was a substantial investigative undertaking involving federal, county and local police agencies, and it represents the great good that can come from working together toward one goal,’ Mercer County Prosecutor Joseph L. Bocchini said. ‘I’m pleased my office had the opportunity to work with our federal law enforcement partners on an operation of this scope and magnitude, and I’m proud of their tremendous accomplishment.’

Following his arrest Sullivan was taken to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office and charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy. After he was charged, he was turned over to the FBI.

The Mercer County arrest is not the end of the road for Sullivan, however. Sullivan, an Oakland, Calif.-based sports agent, was charged in a complaint that was unsealed on Wednesday.

The complaint builds the narrative that seems to have brought Sullivan to New Jersey. Among the charges leveled against Sullivan are conspiracy to distribute narcotics, trafficking in firearms without a license and use of an interstate commerce facility for the commission of a murder-for hire. These are in addition to the New Jersey charges.

If found guilty Sullivan faces, if all of the charges are added together, up to 20 years. The narcotics and firearms trafficking charges carry five years in prison while the murder for hire charge carries 10 years in prison.

According to the San Jose Mercury, four-years ago Sullivan was suspended by the NFL players association after being linked to illicit payments made to a former college football player. The paper also reported that Sullivan served as an adviser to Missouri Linebacker Michael Sam. Sam announced in February that he was gay and if drafted to an NFL team would be the league’s first openly gay player.

The plot involves California State Senator, Leland Yee who represents San Mateo and parts of San Francisco counties and Raymond ‘Shrimpboy’ Chow the Dragonhead (leader) of a San Francisco Chee Kung Tong (CKT) Organization.

According to the complaint, an FBI agent infiltrated the CKT, through introductions by Chow and others. Agents uncovered a pattern of alleged racketeering activity. As the relationship developed between the primary undercover agent, Chow, and other defendants, the agent pitched his idea of generating money from illegal schemes. The agent was later inducted into CKT as a ‘consultant.’

After his induction, and during the course of multiple undercover operations, the agent was introduced to a number of people in order to launder money, traffic narcotics, guns, cigarettes and liquor. Additionally murder-for-hire schemes were added to the list.

The agent was also introduced to Keith Jackson, a former school board president and current operator of Jackson Consultancy. He was also introduced to Jackson’s son Brandon. The pair allegedly responded to the agent’s request for weapons. The complaint alleges that the Jackson’s and Sullivan sold various types of firearms and two ballistic vests to the agent. The trio then, according to the complaint, allegedly conspired to commit a murder for hire requested by the agent. Additionally the trio had allegedly conspired to sell stolen credit cards.

Leland Yee’s undoing appears to have been his ties to Keith Jackson, who was involved in raising funds for him since at least 2011, the complaint reads. Yee and Keith Jackson allegedly raised funds for Yee’s Secretary of State campaign by soliciting donations from undercover FBI agents, in exchange for multiple official acts, and that Yee and Jackson were involved in a conspiracy to traffic firearms.

In May of 2011 and several months afterwards, Jackson solicited an undercover agent to make contributions to Yee’s San Francisco Mayoral campaign. Jackson allegedly sought more than the $500 limit on individual donations from the agent, who declined. A second agent ended up making a personal donation of $5,000. Carrying at least $70,000 in campaign debt, Yee and Jackson agreed that Yee would make a call to the California Department of Public Health in support of a contract with the second undercover agent’s purported client. The deal involved Yee providing an official letter of support for the client in exchange for a $10,000 campaign donation. Yee allegedly made the call on Oct. 18, 2012 and provided the letter in January 2013. Jackson accepted the cash donation in November 2012.

In another attempt by Jackson and Yee to obtain more money from one of the agents, Jackson told the agent that Yee had a contact who deals in arms trafficking in August 2013. Jackson requested the agent provide a campaign donation on behalf of Yee, for Yee to facilitate a meeting with the arms dealer to purchase a large number of weapons which the pair discussed the details including the specific details of the weapons the agent purportedly wished to buy and import.

Many of the defendants were alleged to have been involved in the illicit business according to a report by the San Jose Mercury.