Texas attorney Fangzhou Chen, aka Amber Chen, was charged in federal court with cyberstalking and transmitting threatening communications. Chen allegedly sent 25 unsubstantiated online tips to the FBI National Threat Operations Center and engaged in a campaign of online harassment directed at an unnamed Biglaw partner based in New York as well as a Biglaw associate based in Los Angeles.
According to the criminal complaint, available below, the partner never actually met Chen. The partner’s firm, reportedly Latham & Watkins, monitors Chen’s social media (and provides him with 24/7 security), a sample of which follows.
• “If [the partner] does not resign by Monday, [the partner’s firm] will lose half of the clients”
• “And if you ever cross me again, it’s not just calling feds 5 months later”
• “All [the partner’s] sex files will be made public and non-classified.”
• “If any of you stalk me again I’ll [gun emoji] you to death”
• “Never in my lifetime I have ever heard an associate attorney can kill a managing partner”
• “Sniper on site”
• [The associate] is in California, [the partner] is in Manhattan. Use a silencer.”
• “Ever played a real life Squid Game? lol [laughing emoji]”
• “Use a silencer.”
It’s pretty clear why the firm felt the security was needed.
The firm also shared with the FBI emails sent to the partner’s work address that gave the partner a “last warning” to leave the United States and threatened that he “will be eliminated on the spot” if Chen saw him at the firm again.
According to the complaint, the cyberstalking began in October of 2024. It remains unclear why Chen began targeting the partner and associate. Though the State Bar of Texas lists Chen’s office website as Latham’s, according to reports, Chen never worked at the firm.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].