Woodland Hills Resident and Koreatown Extortionist Sentenced to 22½ Years in Prison for Racket Targeting Karaoke Companies

LOS ANGELES – A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced today to 270 months in federal prison for extorting Koreatown karaoke companies and sometimes physically attacking victims who refused to pay, including carjacking one victim after beating him with a baseball bat.

Daekun Cho, 39, of Woodland Hills, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha, who also ordered him to pay $240,167 in restitution and a special assessment of $5,700.

At the conclusion of a five-day trial, a jury on March 26 found Cho guilty of 55 counts of interference with commerce by extortion, one count of attempted interference with commerce by extortion, and one count of carjacking.

“For years, this defendant terrorized merchants in Koreatown with his violent, shake-down schemes and intimidated victims into remaining silent,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “But working with our local partners, we were able to uncover and expose this incorrigible racketeer. Extortionists who seek to profit through violence are on notice that we will use federal tools to hold them accountable and the consequences will be severe.”

“Our commitment to reducing violent crime in our cities is reflected yet again with the result of this sentencing,” said Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “HSI’s collaboration with our state and local partners is crucial to our mission of ensuring public safety in Southern California.”

From at least 2018 through his arrest in March 2023, Cho demanded “protection” money from karaoke businesses in Koreatown, as well as from drivers of “doumis” – or hostesses – employed by patrons of the karaoke establishments.

For example, in May 2021, when one of Cho’s victims – a doumi driver – refused to pay him more money, Cho and his accomplice waited for him in a karaoke parking lot. Cho and his accomplice beat the victim with metal baseball bats until knocking him unconscious and then stole his minivan. The victim’s arm was broken when he protected his head from the blows. In fear of more violence at Cho’s hands, the victim and his business partner closed their karaoke driving company, and the business partner left California.

During a separate incident in July 2022, a different victim was dropping two doumis off at a karaoke bar in Koreatown when Cho – who appeared to have something in his hoodie pocket – approached the victim’s car, opened the door with his sleeve so as to not leave fingerprints, got halfway inside the vehicle, and told the victim that the victim’s company was not permitted to drop off doumis. As the victim drove away, he heard gunshots, breaking the car’s glass, a shard of which hit a doumi in the neck.

In January 2023, Cho assaulted another karaoke driver who for years had paid him in cash and then via Venmo a monthly extortion fee. Cho began accepting electronic extortion payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the victim stopped paying, Cho assaulted the victim, stole $1,000 from him, and threatened to kill him.

In text messages shown at trial, Cho threatened many victims that if they did not pay him, they would “see the real demon,” “face the consequence,” “get beat up,” or be “punch[ed],” or Cho would “come see u” or “kick u out of ktown.”  One victim testified at trial that Cho pointed a gun at a victim’s head when he refused to comply with Cho’s orders.

When Cho was arrested on the charges in this case, he possessed a 9mm firearm, a Glock 17 caliber firearm, a partially built ghost gun, multiple loaded, high-capacity magazines, and ammunition for a revolver. One of the firearms was fully loaded with the safety disengaged. Cho also possessed illegal knife, two metal baseball bats, and $20,733 in cash.

HSI and the Los Angeles Police Department investigated this matter.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe and Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.