On April 23, at the Manhattan Criminal Court, a verdict was handed down in the self-defense assault case involving the Ong brothers, resulting in an outcome that the Chinatown community found difficult to accept. The judge rejected the defense lawyer’s request to grant John Ong, also known as Deng Degeng, a two-week medical examination before sentencing. Deng Degeng was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for second-degree assault, with an additional three-year probation period after his release. In front of his family, Deng Degeng was handcuffed and taken away by court officers.
Defense lawyer Ward argued in court on the 23rd that Deng had appointments for medical treatment in the following two days, including an MRI scan, and the doctor needed to evaluate the need for surgery based on the MRI results. He requested the judge to allow Deng two weeks for medical treatment. However, the request was denied by Judge Alonso, who cited Deng having had two months to address medical procedures after pleading guilty, but assured that emergency medical services would be available for Deng while at Rikers Island.
On the same day, Deng Degeng was taken to Rikers Island, the largest jail complex in New York City, and he will later be transferred to a prison in upstate New York to serve his sentence. Deng Degeng still has the option to appeal, but only after serving over 80% of his sentence, approximately 2 years and 2 months.
In response to the court’s refusal to allow Deng Degeng to receive medical treatment before serving his sentence, attorney Ward, in an interview, expressed disappointment at the limited prospects for overturning Deng’s criminal sentence given the negotiated plea agreement. Ward emphasized that it was unfair to detain someone who needed medical treatment immediately, advocating for Deng to access proper medical services instead of treatment at Rikers Island.
Ward mentioned that Deng Degeng had visited four medical institutions within two months after pleading guilty and had appointments at different hospitals for medical treatment this week due to his health condition.
Regarding the self-defense assault case that has garnered attention in the Chinatown Chinese community, Ward stated that they planned to file an appeal because there were still unresolved issues and were now on the cusp of appealing, though he acknowledged that the outcome of appeals based on negotiated plea agreements was limited.
The two and a half-year sentence for Deng Degeng was a result of the negotiated plea agreement reached with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Deng opted for a plea deal to avoid facing a minimum sentence of five years if the case went to trial. His younger brother, Maximilian Ong, and their mother, Iris Ong, also pleaded guilty to avoid incarceration.
According to a source familiar with the Ong family, the brothers decided on the plea deal to ensure one of them could stay to care for their elderly mother.
As the judge announced Deng Degeng’s sentence, a young Chinese girl in the courtroom quietly turned her head, wiping away tears.
Deng Dehong, clad in a black coat, looked solemn as he carefully supported his mother, Iris Ong, out of the courtroom. Nearly fifty Chinese community members and friends of the Ongs attended the hearing, with some bringing petitions to Mayor Eric Adams, hoping for intervention to dismiss the charges against the Ong brothers.
Iris Ong, with tears in her eyes, her hair turned white, expressed deep sadness at witnessing her biological son being taken away in handcuffs, saying, “It’s truly, truly heart-wrenching.”
Responding to Deng Degeng’s sentence, Dehong expressed great disappointment, stating that the past four years had been very tough for him, causing physical and psychological strain. He criticized the court’s judgment on the brothers as unfair, emphasizing his lifelong ties to Chinatown.
Don Lee, a director at the Pinehurst Home, condemned the court’s refusal to let Deng receive medical treatment as inhumane and criticized the Assistant District Attorney of Manhattan and the victim’s mother, who testified, as dishonest. Lee vowed to continue advocating for the Ong brothers’ rights.
Last week, Lee and nearly two hundred people protested outside the office of Manhattan District Attorney Bai Airong, demanding that all charges against the Ong brothers be dropped. Lee called on Bai to overturn the charges made by his predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., and treat the Chinese community fairly.
Footage from surveillance cameras in 2020 showed two African American and three Caucasian individuals urinating in the building managed by the Ong brothers at 119 Elizabeth Street during the peak of the pandemic. When Dehong stepped in to intervene and called the police, he was surrounded by the group, with one individual even spitting at him. The altercation escalated, leading to the brothers being physically assaulted by the group of five individuals. Though the group later withdrew from the scene, two African American men returned and approached Dehong.
In defense of his brother, Deng Degeng retrieved a samurai sword from the building to protect himself and his brother, leading to him injuring one of the 20-year-old African American assailants.
After the police arrived at the scene, only the Ong brothers were arrested and charged with assault, while the other assailants were not charged.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, in response to inquiries from The Epoch Times, stated that Dehong received a five-year probation, while Deng Degeng was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on April 23. Their mother, Iris Ong, admitted to disorderly conduct and obstructing justice in various ways. The victim suffered severe injuries, including permanent nerve and tendon damage, following the assault by the Ong brothers with brass knuckles and a blade.