Chinese Intelligence Agent Leads Car Theft Ring - Masterminds - Hot Wheels - Minjian Yang

Masterminds tells real crime stories about amazing deceptions that brilliant criminals use to pull off seemingly impossible crimes. This new half-hour series combines the mystery of a "whodunit" with the thrill of a "howdunit," revealing the extraordinary world of elite bank robbers, escape artists, impersonators, kidnappers, murderers and frauds.
A former Chinese intelligence officer posed as a struggling immigrant in Brooklyn and led the most successful car theft ring the city had ever seen, and lined his pockets with over forty million dollars.

[@jeffsamiei]

21:45 How can you call yourself "more intelligence, more sophisticated" when it took you 10 years to bring him down, and no vehicle was recovered!

[@ratishchandran4597]

Absolutely

[@chunnil4898]

I know you're being rhetorical, but to answer anyway the woman who said that is former Westchester County DA Jeanine Pirro. Take a look at Judge Jeanine does these days and you'll find she lies for a living.

[@jeffsamiei]

@@chunnil4898 Yeah, no s**t! Every hotshot liar in America has a show on FoxNews!

[@Kevin-MM69ex]

Lol, exactly!! She spoke overly confident when making that statement!!

[@kevinsuqui1264]

That’s what I was thinking! After they even confirmed 40 million was made hahaha jokes on her 😂

[@pyrophobia133]

the cops just don't want to admit they've been outsmarted by an intelligence officer

[@hiromihester6432]

“We sent a message to car thieves that we are smarter than you” Meanwhile they never found out where the stolen cars ended up after leaving the warehouse

[@gentx2160]

The cars ended up on the roads!

[@goodfella5302]

😂😂

[@mikedawolf95]

They did eventually I guess if the show explained they wound up in China

[@dlodeprojuicer]

Dude deserves his own series. Netflix please make a plan.

[@davedavies8002]

Hon in 60 seconds? 😂

[@ronollington4640]

It was a series here in canada, i remember watching it in jail lol it was one of the only times the range was quiet cuz everyone was watching

[@lucreciamarin9971]

This was one of the most amazing shows they used to have.

[@richmcintyre1178]

Ken made $40M and did maybe 5 years and walked away. Let me see, yup that is $8M per year tax-free while we paid his room and board. I'll bet he even got a degree in Criminal Justice or International Relations while he was in jail, again for free. Sure Judge you are a lot smarter than Ken, except you, weren't.

[@TheFrenchPug]

Don't forget... early release for good behavior!

[@strawdawgs78]

All part of the plan.

[@victorsupreme214]

$21k a week

[@1scorchedphoenix509]

@@victorsupreme214 Wrong! $21 k per day $153 k per week

[@victorsupreme214]

@@1scorchedphoenix509 yup

[@nickcallisdead]

Awesome! Thanks! Now I know step by step, how to steal expensive cars.

[@thageneral1648]

Have you got the balls

[@nickcallisdead]

@@thageneral1648 only in ur mouth LoL JK 😂. Yeah no way I'd be too scared.

[@MrBlazinerday]

@@thageneral1648 IP o

[@thatdude2139]

sadly you dont know how to sell them - you mastermind haha

[@nickcallisdead]

@@thatdude2139 damnit you foiled my plan

[@chuvaam]

"I am not even mad, I'm impressed actually" Ron Burgundy

[@sehoujay]

21:33 "His downfall was that we were smarter than he was" 22:16 "Ken Yang made 40 million dollars during his car theft operation, none of it was ever recovered" Sure Judge, you are a lot smarter than him 🤦🏽‍♂

[@wildestcowboy2668]

😮 his down fall was he was a switch hitta

[@jbassshredder5195]

If they were surveying the place, how the hell did he empty the warehouse?

[@trippen4391]

*This reminds me of my favorite movie of all time, gone in 60 seconds* …🤣

[@trippen4391]

Wtf this comment is still here… I literally made an identical comment just now lol

[@queengreen1873]

Just Imaging buying a brand new benz,go to Dennys to eat.Then come out to go home and your car is gone.

[@mikedawolf95]

If they can afford those expensive cars, they probably have the best insurance that probably has theft insurance

[@johna.4334]

@Fernando Govea And they're not dining at Denny's!

[@brooKlynKiteflyer]

@@johna.4334 lmao

[@brooKlynKiteflyer]

I was at Danny's last week, ordered a steak dinner, never again smh lmao

[@markvonschober6872]

40 mil for 10 years ?......... I’d take that.

[@dodgetruck6786]

I would as well. Fair trade off.

[@TheFrenchPug]

Best retirement plan out there.

[@hervavengill8734]

I agree dude needs own series. I think that would be too easy . 😆.

[@uyhgar369]

You sent a msg all right. That msg was. "Pay your dues & we will look the other way. But if 1 of your crew F"s up & some cops who aren't on the take get wind. Well we can't protect you from everything. "

[@liammcdonough6832]

No. Their message was, “No matter how clever you are, sooner or later, we will get you. You cannot get away with this forever.”

[@xidropkillzx3246]

That Audi rs6 looked clean asf. Like 120k msrp ridiculous exhaust note

[@MS-ql8ek]

Rule #1 when stealing a car, dont stick around and wait for police when u get into an accident

[@mikedawolf95]

I wonder why the person who had the car stayed if they knew 100% it was stolen?

[@andrechristiansen4977]

Hehe, true that... Haha.

[@RugbyGuide]

I feel like this is the plot to an 80s action flick starring someone like Chan, Van Damme, or Segal. :D

[@robinabernathy2829]

I didn't know "Mario Lopez" the dude who played "Slater" on "Saved by the Bell" was a criminal mastermind.

[@ACEDshooter]

Most of these “luxury” cars in this vid are now worth chump change xD

[@alierrtrillo9368]

That's exactly how it works for 99.99 percent of cars

[@samatar1025]

His $40 million is probably in China.

[@anjrulaw4986]

Greed was what got Ken caught not the NYPD SMH good police work guys..........

[@milmex317th]

Former bullshit PLA never retires.

[@playipstreamsolutions5538]

Disabling car computers using power point presentation 😂😂😂

[@kennyirish5021]

He spent maybe 5 years and then flew back to china a rich rich man. Thanks nypd.

[@olivertaylor8788]

All the security in the world is usless when the thieves design the systems.

[@citizen23606]

This would be a great idea for a show

[@LeftLaneDreams]

His new nickname is Ken "Hot Wheels" Yang. 🚢 🚗 🚓🚓🚓

[@lilibethdoherty295]

I no have your car. You yes have my car. What Peter Griffin would say!

[@lml6.653]

Smarter than he was.... Yea ok... He Only got 10 years so he will prolly be out in like 6 or 7 years if its not fed time and have made plenty of money I guarantee he has hidden away... Pretty sure he won.

[@shakir4429]

Best HR manager

[@wildwest5436]

Swap meet Louie!

[@westcoast20007]

Gone in sixty seconds

[@LyrradSenoj]

That lady was talking tough, those mother effers didn't know shit for 10 years. The reason you found out about the operation was because of a snitch.

[@sur2408]

If the Sphinx and pyramids weren't bulky and heavy, they would be at the British museum.

[@mikekennedy5470]

She helped catch them i guess ? Must had been before she turned into a stumbling drunk...

[@ronollington4640]

This is why stealing cars is better then selling drugs, in the end u make jus as much $$$ with half the jail sentance

[@sarahpeterson2702]

10 years, and only 5 inside for good behaviour. 40m USD. Thats 8m a year to sit in jail, not bad for a china man where the annual salary is 3000 USD for 90h work week

[@rubikdevelopers8575]

Please make all episodes available for india

[@droidnick]

That drunk judge breath. He had no down fall. 10 years of jail for 40mil. Im in

[@peacelove983]

Those guys were good !!!!

[@Jaxon1127]

7:24 that’s some old ass surveillance system

[@pyrophobia133]

this was the late 90s early 2000s era...

[@gregyoungblood5561]

Crazy

[@dramanebance5654]

i like to see antelligente people and my life

[@allah6892]

It was easy back then when mobile phone with camera wasn't a thing.

[@realdeal7653]

40 million for 10 year sentence and non violent crime he would do probably half of that. It was worth it I’d say for 40 mil

[@Maniack187]

reminds me of the movie gone in 60 seconds :)

[@andrechristiansen4977]

This is "Gone In 60 Seconds" real life... :-)

[@car24dude]

Should let the tracker go all the way to the California on the ship. Once it set sail and leaves the harbor, call it back in unload all shipping containers and see what you have.

[@bh1422]

I'm curious if the movie "Gone In 60 Seconds" is not based on this story.

[@roooooin]

No coppers, you’re not smarter or better nor anything you chased your tail for 10 years and got lucky on a slip-up. It’s like a small nerdy boy saying “come at me bro! “.

[@liammcdonough6832]

Stop insulting the cops. They ARE smarter than the crooks. When you say that they aren’t “smarter or better or anything”, you essentially degrade their reputation. And you’re also disrespecting those who were victimized by this bastard.

[@mikevale1000]

janine piro interviewed in this episode, is like the mcdonalds clown interviewed in a gourmet food episode

[@prettyboykenagm2358]

🚀Weready✌

[@MsJinkerson]

A gone in 60 seconds story

[@TylerSane5]

Reminds me of GTA 4 when Niko has to steal cars for 8 thoughts oh wait that's not right! Brucie lol

[@maxwalker4326]

10 years for forty mil? Yea,,, the law sure showed him and sent a message alright...smdh

[@cersheljohn3179]

There is always a snitch.

[@willwright2227]

Three people can only keep a secret if 2 of them are dead.

[@MrCrashsystem]

if you ask me if I would give 5 to 10 years of my life for 40 million the answer is where I sign

[@LABoutaBagDoe]

Damn All it takes is one Mistake to fuck everything all up, a simple car crash🤦🏾‍♂️

[@trippen4391]

Facts

[@bosnia58]

Only 10 years for 49 million i would do same thing while some black kid got 150 years for pair of pants stolen great Amerikkka

[@TheFree144]

Dam

[@caetylnschulz2083]

40 million and non recover....I would say who is smarter with 10 years in jail he is much more smarter than you all are .... Authority....cos he will have all the time of his life after ten years or so.why worries.

[@trippen4391]

This reminds me of my favorite movie, gone in 60 seconds 😆😆😆

[@spitsomefire]

i think it was inspired a bit by it

[@Bill-iz3od]

OG gone in 60 seconds

[@jmrqz2989]

Damn black dude snitched.

[@aburgheim]

Ths guy is a patsy!! The same gig went on in London UK and the trail leads to individuals in the highest circles in society and politics profiting from it!! Its just like Whitey Bulger and the FBI in Boston....... these crimes are so sophisticated and protected.......... go on for years if not decades and take place without any or hardly any scrutiny of the law!! Complicated operations like this can only exist to the profit of powerful people very high up the ladder...... all we get is a BS story and a patsy of some kind!!

[@mikewatte4478]

sum ting always goes wong

[@mikewatte4478]

@Dan Ashton Impressions wok off lol

[@TheFrenchPug]

We tu lo

[@Downeast1994]

I wonder where he at now

[@JK-ky1ce]

Chillin in Chinatown, New York.

[@Lousy_Bastard]

Jeanine Pirro softer spoken back then, looks better now than she did then.

[@qadriharris]

Criminal underworld

[@amyjojinkerson6745]

this is like Gone 60 seconds

[@deeespinal9666]

This might be why I stopped seeing my old classmate Mario around

[@kirillderkach251]

his name is andrew yang he ran for pres last yyear😅

[@sanansa4567]

he did mess up though by not hiring better drivers to prevent an accident. And also he should have hired other vehicles to drive in front and back of the stolen vehicle, to preven it from getting into an accident (he could have just told them it was a VIP client that needed some special work done to the car, and he wanted to ensure it didn't get damaged). Sure it might have cost a couple more thousand per car to transport it this way, but it would have been worth not giving away what area he was located in.

[@willwright2227]

Sometimes accidents just happen.

[@wildestcowboy2668]

😮Yang was a slick Mexican

[@pyrophobia133]

the hubris of the cops is astronomical

[@liammcdonough6832]

STOP CALLING IT HUBRIS!!!!

[@gregsmith7828]

08:58 fake. (it's a convertible)

[@americaisacontinent.]

Why would Mario steal luxury cars to sell them for a cheaper price, just to save enough money to go out and buy one??

[@elibandwidth4336]

So it took all those people to outsmart one guy and the cops and DA think what?

[@Carmen-Electra]

Omg… too much work

[@shindersamra4020]

Is that all 10 years to 42 million. He be out 4 or less years.

[@rauldelarosa3234]

Gone in 60 seconds

[@jeromesimpson9909]

This should be made into a movie

[@user-fl2wn5zr5z]

gone in 60 seconds

[@mick1325]

Quite smart to watch the girlfriends phones

[@tonydanza6406]

The Police messed up the undercover cops should of sent a memo to every Police station in New York and told them if any investagation of a car thief it should be cleared by them first and the worst part about this is that the judge give him only 8 years of jail time when he stoled hundreds of cars but when you carjack only 1 car with a gun it's 9 years

[@willwright2227]

Car theft isn't considered a violent crime. Car jacking, especially with a weapon is.

[@chancest.thomas5160]

He shoulda Stopped after da First Year! Make enough dough 2 Live Comfortably NOT Lavishly!!

[@jeremiahsawyer2123]

10 years in prison is worth 40 mill...🤷‍♂️ Can't make that in 100 lifetime's, unless you have some super successful "legal" business lol

[@saujanshrestha4660]

Looks like gone in 60 seconds movie baseline.

[@littlejoey6341]

That’s why crime does NOT PAY people get arrested and give up there own mother…..

[@OSCARMartinez-zo4qj]

This is how they made gone and 60seconds

[@LN-DeGenerous]

Crew full of snitches 🤣🤦🏽‍♂️

[@slit4659]

YANG...And his Damn JAPANESE FOOD....If only he liked McDonald's...

[@jigmesamdrup4058]

At end Chinese always win..

[@nasinandi4521]

africa was a backbone for his crime

[@stuartpenman6387]

if you think this is how they played, you are on the right stre,LOL

[@thatomajafi2132]

I want ur smartness to bring out 10 m. I'm hppy u smart cops didn't get the money

[@domingosantos1292]

Matatan HS 💰👈

[@rafalIL29]

Damn Jeanine Pirro is on this documentary wow

[@willwright2227]

And she appears to be sober.

[@getredytagetredy]

They were going to the triple chin hangout ...

[@blixten2928]

They had no way of knowing the containers were off-loaded in the China Sea. That was just made up by some-one, either the police or TV producers. Why not - if the container has proper papers - just let it reach its proper port and pick it up, quite "legally"?

[@liammcdonough6832]

They found out about that part of it later on, unless I’m mistaken.