“Born To Kill” Gang Member Added To Us Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted Fugitive List

Suspect allegedly bound, stabbed three men and threw their bodies in river; one miraculously survived

Washington – Career criminal Tam Minh Le thought he had covered up his crimes when he and his associates allegedly threw three men they had bound, beaten and stabbed in the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in August and left them for dead. However, one of Le’s victims miraculously survived and was able to free himself, climb to the banks of the river and call for help. The lone survivor’s account of what happen led authorities to charge Le with numerous offenses including murder and attempted murder.

Le, 43, remains on the run, but his days as a fugitive are numbered with his addition to the U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted fugitive list today.

“The malicious crimes allegedly committed by Tam Le demonstrate his blatant disregard for life and have earned him a spot on the U.S. Marshals Service 15 Most Wanted list,” said U.S. Marshals Service Director Stacia Hylton. “We are absolute in our commitment to apprehend Le across both international and domestic jurisdictional boundaries to insure he faces justice.”

On Aug. 27, Le, along with members associated with the Vietnamese gang Born to Kill, allegedly held two brothers, Viet Huynh and Vu Huynh, hostage at his Southwest Philadelphia home for gambling away $100,000 they were supposed to use to purchase narcotics. In an attempt to free the brothers and buy some time, another man arrived at the home with a partial payment of $40,000. Le was not satisfied and allegedly decided all three men would pay with their lives. Le and his associates took the men to the 2300 block of Kelly Drive where they allegedly assaulted, and repeatedly stabbed the bound victims, tossing their mutilated bodies in the Schuylkill River. While the victim who attempted to settle the debt survived the horrific ordeal, the Huynh brothers did not. Authorities found their bodies in the river bound with zip ties, riddled with stab wounds, slashed throats, and heads wrapped with duct tape.

The Philadelphia Police Department charged Le on Sept. 20 with a number of crimes including murder, attempted murder, false imprisonment, and abuse of a corpse. The U.S. Marshals joined the manhunt for Le after he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in October.

“Given the nature of his charges, Tam Le poses a significant threat to anyone he may come into contact with,” said David B. Webb, U.S. Marshal of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. “Together with the City of Philadelphia we will utilize our nationwide law enforcement partnerships to apprehend Le.”

A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for information leading directly to Le’s arrest. Anyone with information is urged to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals Service office or the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102.