DISTRICT ATTORNEY - NEW YORK COUNTY

NEWS RELEASE
June 17, 2009

Contact: Alicia Maxey Greene
212-335-9400

Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau announced today the arrest of JACK CHANG on charges of coercion, placing a false bomb or hazardous substance, stalking, and aggravated harassment. CHANG, 54, is a tax preparer and the president of Unitax Planners, PA, located at 95-13 Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights.

Investigators assigned to the New York County District Attorney’s Office commenced the investigation leading to CHANG’s arrest after Assistant District Attorney Gilda Mariani, the Chief of the Money Laundering and Tax Crimes Unit of the District Attorney’s Office, received two threatening letters from CHANG on June 9, 2009. Assistant District Attorney Mariani is currently handling a prosecution of CHANG for grand larceny and scheme to defraud. Assistant District Attorney Mariani previously supervised a prosecution of CHANG, resulting in his conviction and a state prison sentence for the same crimes.

One letter was addressed to Assistant District Attorney Mariani’s husband and was delivered to Assistant District Attorney Mariani’s home. The second letter was delivered to her office. The two letters contained a virtually identical message, threatening Assistant District Attorney Mariani with physical harm and death. In the letter, CHANG wrote, “I finally got my 9 mil gun and I am insane, you are responsible for my insanity and I will make sure that you get at least one for each and every year I spent incarcerated.” The letter delivered to Assistant District Attorney Mariani’s home also contained a white powder, which was determined to be corn starch based on a preliminary analysis.

Investigators focused on CHANG as the writer of the letters in part because one of the letters was delivered through the District Attorney’s Office mail and CHANG had been in the District Attorney’s Office on both June 4, 2009, and June 5, 2009, in connection with the grand larceny and scheme to defraud prosecution currently being conducted by Assistant District Attorney Mariani.

Investigators have obtained substantial incriminating evidence against CHANG. On June 16, 2009, investigators seized a bag of trash from in front of CHANG’s house and found what appeared to be a draft of the threatening letters sent to Assistant District Attorney Mariani. During the execution of a search warrant at CHANG’s home, investigators discovered more incriminating evidence, including a computer printout of Assistant District Attorney Mariani’s biography, as well as another threatening letter directed towards her. The letter found at CHANG’s home stated, in pertinent part, “You will be captured and before you are sent to hell you will taste hell on earth.” Investigators also seized a computer printer and mailing labels resembling those affixed to the letters received by Assistant District Attorney Mariani.

The charges of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree and Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree stem from CHANG’s theft of more than $80,000 from his clients. CHANG was previously convicted by the District Attorney’s Office for another tax scheme in which he stole more than $940,000 from at least 30 clients from 1988 through 1992.

The criminal court complaint charges CHANG with one count of Coercion in the First Degree, one count of Placing a False Bomb or Hazardous Substance in the Second Degree, one count of Stalking in the Third Degree, and two counts of Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree.

Coercion in the First Degree is a class D felony, punishable by up to seven years in prison. Placing a False Bomb or Hazardous Substance in the Second Degree is a class E violent felony, punishable by up to four years in prison. Stalking in the Third Degree and Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree are class A misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year in prison.

District Attorney Morgenthau thanked DANY Investigators John Patterson, Jonathan Savel, Alejandro Arenas, Diana Keane, Erica Figaroa, Jose Flores under the supervision of Deputy Chief Investigator Terry Mulderrig and Chief Investigator Joe Pennisi and NYPD Detective Robert Mistretta and Captain Ronald Hass of the Dictrict Attorney’s Office Squad and Aaron Teitelbaum, a paralegal in the Rackets Bureau.

Assistant District Attorney Sean Sullivan of the Rackets Bureau is handling the prosecution under the supervision of Eric Seidel, Chief of the Rackets Bureau.

Defendant Information:

JACK CHANG, 10/3/1954
28-04 Corporal Kennedy Street
Bayside, New York

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