By Brady Delander, METRO NORTH NEWSPAPERS
It was business as usual Monday for Dan Tang at his popular Heaven Dragon restaurant, just days after federal prosecutors charged him with money laundering connected to a multi-million-dollar marijuana operation.
Tang, 46, was found where he most often is – greeting customers, answering phones and handling take-out orders at the busy restaurant at 3728 E. 120th Ave. in Thornton. He shook hands with nearly every customer that walked through the doors, with hardly a hint of the trouble that now surrounds him.
Adams County District Attorney filed charges two weeks ago against 10 people allegedly involved in a large marijuana manufacture and distribution ring. Last week, federal authorities charged Tang with a felony count of money laundering and nine others with various counts.
Tang faces up to 20 years in prison and loss of properties and as much as $1.8 million in cash.
The operation involved the purchase of dozens of homes around the Front Range that were turned into grow rooms. Tang’s relatives and employees are among those who have been charged.
While charges are pending against Tang and 19 others, some of his customers expressed surprise or even shock at the allegations; others preferred to focus on the food.
“It’s the best Chinese food in the area. I can’t believe this has happened,” Stacie Thompson-Foer, 24 of Denver, said in the restaurant’s parking lot Saturday afternoon. “I’ve been coming here for years and never thought anything like this would happen.”
Aside from the quality of the food, Tang is best known for his near-constant presence in the restaurant’s foyer. He has won numerous business awards and has donated to politicians and causes across the political spectrum.
But some people now are wondering if there was another side to Tang.
One man threw up his arms and showed a flash of disgust with the situation.
“I can’t believe it, really. It seems like he ruined a good thing, and for what?” asked Mark Lopez, 41 of Golden.
Lopez added that news of the pending charges hasn’t deterred him from eating at Heaven Dragon.
Tang is the owner or co-owner of several Chinese restaurants in the area. If convicted Tang could be forced to forfeit his assets, including properties such as the restaurant, according to Samuel Tamkin, a real estate attorney based in Chicago.
“If the authorities can claim that the property or properties were part of the criminal enterprise, they can keep it,” Tamkin said Tuesday. “If you’re driving down the road and distributing drugs and get caught, they can keep the car. Same thing with a boat or a house or, in this case, a restaurant.”
Distributed by Colorado Capitol Reporters
