2 Computer Chip Bandits Are Convicted

Two men linked to Asian crime syndicates have been convicted of stealing $10 million worth of computer chips and motherboards from an Irvine electronics firm in the largest computer-related robbery in U.S. history.

Quang Quy Luong, 27, of Oakland, was found guilty of conspiracy and armed robbery Dec. 23 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, while Khuong Lay Tang, 26, of Santa Ana, was convicted of conspiracy.

The convictions were announced Thursday in a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The robbery occurred on the evening of May 16, 1995, when as many as 13 men dressed in sport coats and ties forced their way into the offices of Centon Electronics Inc. They held three employees at gunpoint and made off with many boxes filled with the computer equipment.

The men, facing maximum sentences ranging from 20 to 80 years in federal prison, are scheduled to be sentenced April 12.

They are believed to be part of a crime syndicate that in the mid-1990s pulled off many chip robberies both in Southern California and Silicon Valley.

The Irvine robbery generated national headlines and prompted tighter security measures at computer firms across the country.

The robbery was a traumatic experience for Centon employees. Moments after the robbers invaded their offices, one employee was forced to unlock the warehouse containing computer chips and memory boards. Other employees were then ordered to the ground and bound with duct tape. The employees managed to free themselves nearly an hour later.