What do a stolen vintage Porsche, a pound of methamphetamines, and a cache of illegal guns and ammo have in common?
It depends on whom you ask. To the SFPD, it’s all evidence of a prolific criminal. But to the man blamed by the cops for the illicit collection, it’s all a cruel coincidence.
Following a months-long investigation, San Francisco police announced Friday the raid and arrest of John Richard Choy, 61, after finding a trove of contraband in the Outer Richmond.
The investigation began May 18 with a report of a stolen trailer containing equipment worth about $70,000. Police recovered the trailer June 16 parked on 32nd Avenue between Geary Boulevard and Anza Street and developed probable cause to arrest Choy.
After his arrest, police began to find “irregularities” with vehicles registered to or associated with Choy, the department said. On Sept. 18, officers found a stolen and partially stripped-down 1989 Yamaha motorcycle in front of a home on the same block of 32nd Avenue.
On Sept. 24, officers searched the home and seized more than a pound of meth, illegal firearms, and silencers while recovering a stolen 1979 Porsche 911.
The Porsche had been reported stolen in San Francisco in 2021 and was outfitted with the engine of a 1978 Porsche 911 Targa that had also been reported stolen in the city, police said.
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Interim Chief Paul Yep announced the bust Friday, calling it the result of a months-long investigation by the department’s Burglary and Auto Theft Unit, supported by Richmond Station and the Tactical Unit.
“I want to thank our hardworking officers for their incredible work on this case,” Yep said. “Our streets are safer because of them.”
Reached by phone Friday, Choy said he had been released after nine days in custody and has been forced to wear an ankle monitor.
Choy denied the allegations.
That stolen Porsche? He said he bought it used 10 years ago in the Mission and denied having any knowledge of its parts being stolen.
The Yamaha motorcycle might have been parked on the sidewalk outside the home he shares with his wife and daughters, but that’s not his fault, he claimed.
“I never touched it,” he said. “They completely lied.”
Choy acknowledged ownership of the firearms and drugs.
He claims to have inherited the guns from his father and stored them in a locked safe. Even so, he admitted he wasn’t permitted to possess them because of a felony gun charge from 1996. He said that charge came from storing a loaded .32 caliber handgun between the seats of a Comcast truck when he was a field supervisor in South San Francisco.
“It was either go to jail or cop a felony,” Choy said. “I had a 6-year-old daughter at the time.”
The drugs are another story. The pound of meth was for his personal use, he said. He buys in bulk because it’s cheaper.
He referred to himself as an “addict” but said he can hold down a job as a repairman for a real estate company, which he did not identify.
Lastly, the trailer that initiated the investigation was somebody else’s fault, Choy said.
According to him, movers hired by the real estate company he works for stole the trailer while borrowing his truck and parked it outside his home while he was asleep. He said the trailer was empty.
“I’m not a criminal,” Choy said. “I just have a drug issue.”
Choy was charged with 22 felony counts Friday, including receiving stolen property, 12 counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and two unspecified misdemeanors, according to the District Attorney’s office.
Choy pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied all allegations. The DA moved to detain Choy, but he was released with ankle monitoring pending his next court date on Oct. 21.