In the years after his release from prison, Raymond Chow insisted he had gone straight and tried to prove it by posting photos with celebrities and endorsements from politicians across his Facebook profile.
The profile shows the organized crime figure known as “Shrimp Boy” rubbing shoulders with the likes of former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, NFL football player Vernon Davis and Randy Jackson of the Jackson Five.
But even by Chow’s standards for mingling with the famous and powerful, the summer of 2012 was a good one for Shrimp Boy.
According to posts he wrote on his Facebook timeline, he gave multiple speeches in June, including one to a middle school he hoped would “help the kids stay positive and out of trouble.”
In July, Chow was honored as a “Change Agent” at an annual “In the Trenches” awards ceremony in San Francisco.
He later posted photos of honorary certificates he received from Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) and San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee. Another photo showed he had been recognized in a letter from U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
“Thank you for your tireless dedication to providing outstanding service to the residents of San Francisco,” Lee wrote.
“Your efforts to turn your life around and help others do the same has been an inspiration to us all,” said Ammiano.
Feinstein wrote: “Serving as an inspiration and a role model to others, you have had a great impact on those in need of guidance.”
But a criminal complaint released Wednesday by federal authorities portrays Chow’s public displays of going straight as nothing more than a façade. . .