Woodland Hills man accused of Koreatown shakedowns

A Woodland Hills man was arrested this week on a federal charge accusing him of extorting protection money from Koreatown businesses, sometimes using violence against those who refused to pay.

Daekun Cho, 38, was arrested on Thursday, March 16, by special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and Los Angeles police officers. A federal criminal complaint charges Cho with interference with commerce by threats or violence.

Cho was demanding protection money from karaoke businesses in Koreatown, as well as from “doumi,” or hostesses, employed by patrons of the karaoke establishments, investigators say.

“To further his extortion scheme, Cho committed shootings, a carjacking, a kidnapping and other acts of physical violence,” the complaint affidavit says. “Cho made explicit threatening statements to the doumi drivers and karaoke bar owners to get them to pay a monthly fee.”

The affidavit describes attacks of four victims in the past year and says another victim was threatened. A doumi driver, after refusing to pay the protection money following a price increase, was subject to a baseball bat beating, allegedly by Cho and another individual, on May 8, 2021, the affidavit says. The victim suffered a broken arm and multiple lacerations.

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In another incident at a karaoke bar last August, Cho demanded that a doumi driver leave, and, as the driver and two doumis were driving away, they heard gunshots and one of the doumis suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, according to the affidavit.

One victim, who reported he had been paying Cho for four years, told investigators that he had decided to stop paying him and Cho is accused of assaulting and stealing $1,000 from him. The affidavit details how that victim, working with law enforcement, made a $500 payment to Cho last month.

If convicted as charged, Cho faces up to 20 years in federal prison, prosecutors noted.