A man who's been charged with fencing stolen electronics out of a Larkin Street boba tea shop who drew the ire of former district attorneys Chesa Boudin and George Gascon has been arrested for the third time in four years for, you guessed it, fencing stolen electronics.
Quoc Le, 42, was arrested yet again last week, on May 18, and as District Attorney Brooke Jenkins's office tells us in a release, he has, for a third time, been charged with possession of stolen goods. Mr. Le was charged with the same crime in 2019 and 2022 — and his 2022 arrest, almost exactly a year ago, included the seizure of over 1,000 electronics, most of them likely stolen in home and auto burglaries.
It was alleged that Le was, in fact, using his wife's Quickly boba tea shop as a front for a auto burglary ring, and that stolen goods with trackers placed on them by Boudin's office ended up being shipped from the tea shop to Hong Kong and Vietnam.
Le was out on bail for the 2022 charges, and last week's arrest occurred at his home on the 2600 block of Alemany Boulevard. In the course of the arrest, police and district attorney investigators say they found "numerous electronic devices (including smart phones, tablets, and laptop computers) that are alleged to have been stolen."
This time, Le is being held without bail, given his history of re-offending while out of custody.
"Fences, people who sell stolen goods for profit, play a major role in the criminal theft rings that plague our City," said DA Brooke Jenkins in a statement. "The fact that thieves know they can easily sell their stolen goods to these fences incentives them to steal more and more. It is imperative that we do everything we can to undermine these sophisticated criminal networks and prevent on-going theft and property crime that deeply impacts city residents, businesses and visitors with pre-trial detention and every legal means available."
Le was arraigned on Tuesday, and his next court appearance is on May 31. The DA's office says that if Le is convicted on all charges, he faces up to 16 years in the state pen.
While charges have been filed, the SFPD is still seeking tips and information in the case, which you can give anonymously on their tip line at 415-575-4444, or you can text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
If your device has been recently stolen and you know the serial number, go to sanfranciscopolice.org and file an online report, or go to your nearest district station to file a report.
Previously: Quickly Boba Shop on Larkin Busted In DA's Office Sting, Was Allegedly Helping Front a Car Burglary Ring