2 men face RICO charges for violent home robberies in Western Washington that targeted Asian Americans

Federal prosecutors in Seattle have indicted two men on rarely used racketeering charges, related to a series of violent home robberies throughout Western Washington targeting Asian Americans in 2022. They said the charges follow a lengthy investigation across multiple jurisdictions that remains ongoing.

The men, Kevin Thissel and Christopher Johnson, are accused of organizing and committing at least seven robberies. They each face one federal count of racketeering and one count of conspiracy. Each count has a maximum penalty of life in prison.

They are also accused of committing kidnappings and murder in the course of robberies that ranged from south King to Snohomish and Skagit counties. The indictment also alleges that they were part of a criminal organization that operated in “Washington, Arizona, and elsewhere.”

RELATED: Kids at gunpoint, casino casings: How south Seattle Asian immigrants became the target of home invasions

U.S. Attorney Tessa Gorman said it’s the first time in 17 years that her Western Washington district has used the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) to address what they allege is a violent criminal organization. The previous instance was against a Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang.

“Part of [RICO’s] power and impact is that it really addresses violent crime done through groups,” Gorman said.

Richard Collodi, the FBI special agent in charge in Seattle, said the crews performing these robberies followed similar procedures each time, wearing masks, carrying firearms, and bursting into homes in the middle of the night.

“Many actions of the defendants in this case were specifically designed to cause fear," he said. "They kidnapped multiple people, they pretended to be the police, they disabled cameras, and even restrained children.”

Officials said the robberies specifically targeted Asian Americans because, according to the indictment, they “perceived Asian victims to be ‘weaker.’”

The charges so far don't allege that the men conspired to commit civil rights violations or hate crimes, but Gorman said, "we take civil rights violations extremely seriously and if there is one that could meet the elements, we would definitely bring it."

RELATED: Asian American community on edge after targeted home invasions in South Seattle

Law enforcement officials said the actions of these crews resulted in the death of 36-year-old Irah Marcelo Sok, who was shot in her bedroom during a robbery in Everett on July 19, 2022 with her 7-year-old child next to her on the bed.

Snohomish County Sheriff Susanna Johnson said, “the suspects then zip-tied [Sok’s] husband, placed him on the floor, and began to ransack the home.”

She called the investigation, linking the robberies to similar incidents in Kent and elsewhere, “exceptionally complex,” and credited one of her agency’s detectives, Kendra Conley, with advancing the investigation of Sok’s death.

RELATED: 5 arrests made in South Seattle home invasions targeting Asian Americans

Conley said she was focused on “keeping the case alive. We’ve never let this case go, we’ve never let it go cold, and just reaching out and finding other cases that were similar.”

The Snohomish County Prosecutor Jason Cummings said his office also plans to file murder charges against the two men for Sok’s death.

One of the men, Christopher Johnson, appeared in federal court in Seattle Thursday and pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled for Oct. 21, 2024.

Both men were already in state custody on unrelated charges. Johnson was in Snohomish County serving a 90-month sentence for domestic violence convictions. Thissel was in custody in Pierce County where he was awaiting trial for assault in the first degree for another shooting, federal officials said.