A Queens resident was among the four men charged with murder in a fatal Flushing shooting in 2019.
A two-count indictment was unsealed in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday morning charging Antony Abreu, 34, of Queens; two Long Island men, Qing Ming Yu, 54, of Oyster Bay and You You, 34, of Plainview; and Zhe Zhang, 34, of Arcadia, California, in connection to an execution-style murder of Chinese businessman Xin Gu on a Flushing street on Feb. 12, 2019, according to federal prosecutors.
Abreu was already in federal custody serving a sentence in an unrelated case and will be transferred to the Eastern District of New York at a later date. Qing Ming Yu and You You were arrested Tuesday and were awaiting arraignment in Brooklyn federal court and Zhe Zhang’s initial appearance will be in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
As detailed in court documents, between 2015 and 2018, Xin Gu worked for Qing Ming Yu’s property development company at its Manhattan office. After several years, Xin Gu became concerned about the company’s financial viability and he resigned and formed his own property development company.
After his departure, several clients and employees also cut ties with Qing Ming Yu’s company, which then closed down at the end of 2018. Enraged at Xin Gu’s perceived disloyalty, Qing Ming Yu allegedly hired his nephew You You to kill Xin Gu in exchange for payment. You You in turn allegedly hired Zhang and Abreu to assist in carrying out the murder.
On the evening of Feb. 11, 2019, and into the following morning, Xin Gu’s new company hosted a celebration of the Lunar New Year at a Flushing karaoke bar. The defendants learned of Xin Gu’s party and decided to kill him that night in front of a metalworks building on the corner of 131st Street and Fowler Avenue beneath the Whitestone Expressway. In the alleged plan, You You served as a lookout, Zhe Zhang served as the getaway driver and Abreu shot Xin Gu multiple times in the head and body. EMS responded to the crime scene and rushed the victim to NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“As alleged, the defendants callously used gun violence to resolve a business dispute, reducing the value of a man’s life to a dollar figure, and bringing trauma and mourning to the community,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “Prosecuting killers will always be a top priority for this office — whether the defendant pulls the trigger, or pays someone else to do his dirty work for him.”
If convicted, each defendant faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison or the death penalty.
“We have said it before: If anyone is involved in a murder in New York City, we will find them and ensure that justice is served,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said. “The tireless work of detectives, agents and prosecutors in this case helped hold the men allegedly responsible for this murder accountable for their actions. It is another example of our agencies’ collaborative commitment to public safety, and further proof that no one is beyond the reach of the law.”
