After the American financial crisis in 2008, a China bank named National Treasure Bank became the only bank sued after the crisis.
After five years 1000000 US dollars in appeal and litigation costs, China Family Bank studied more than 900,000 documents, refuted 182 criminal and civil lawsuits, and finally achieved a litigation success rate of 100%.
While the case was still under trial, director steve james started filming. He believes that National Treasure Bank is innocent;
Knowing this family and who they are, I don't believe they are guilty.
The storm experienced by National Treasure Bank is not only a brief introduction of Sun Qicheng, but also reflects the weakness of Chinese social and political power in the United States.
In a short period of 89 minutes, the documentary recorded how Sun Qicheng, the hero, waged an indomitable struggle with the United States in the face of 182 charges of forging business records, defrauding private loans and conspiring with the Manhattan District Attorney's office in new york.
For all Chinese living in new york, Chinatown, an isolated island in new york, where the American dream began, bears too many joys and sorrows. Many people have worked hard all their lives just to leave Chinatown and go to the wider world.
Sun Qicheng, 1935, from Shanghai. Sun Qicheng 16 years old came to America with his parents. The strong Asian flavor of Chinatown makes him feel at home, where he can keep his lifestyle in China, get a haircut at the Shanghai barber shop and speak a few dialects; Find a Hong Kong-style restaurant and have a bowl of authentic Wonton Noodles.
Sun Qicheng graduation photo
Stills of the documentary "National Treasure Bank: Small enough to go to prison"
"I want to be part of it," he said.
Stills of the documentary "National Treasure Bank: Small enough to go to prison"
At that time, there were many illiterate and unskilled Chinese "black households" living in Chinatown. They don't want to leave Chinatown and speak English, which makes them reluctant to go to major banks in the United States.
In daily life, they were fined 1000 USD because the stall selling vegetables was several centimeters higher than the road and they couldn't find a suitable job to set up a stall in front of the supermarket to repair shoes.
Everyday life is like a "mouse waiting to be caught", living a life of survival.
Sun Qicheng is very serious about all this. He holds a master's degree in accounting and agricultural economics from Florida State University. While working in new york, he spent his spare time studying for a law degree from Brooklyn Law School in new york.
65438-0964 After receiving the doctor of law degree, Sun Qicheng founded his own law firm to solve problems for compatriots in the Chinese community in new york.
At the same time, drivers, tailors, nail salons, porters and other jobs are often paid by the day or by the week, so it is difficult to prove the source of income. Although they usually don't think this is a problem, they realize the seriousness of this problem when they apply for a mortgage loan.
At this time, they can only try to find a China person with knowledge and status like Sun Qicheng.
In the process of helping Chinese compatriots deal with policies again and again, Sun Qicheng realized one thing. The China people's credit system based on human feelings has become a "Chinese unity" that is not understood by Americans, and it has also laid the groundwork for future crises.
At that time, the principle of Bank of America to China people was: willing to accept their deposits, but unwilling to give them the same credit. Without credit guarantee, it means that we can't get loans from banks and have no money to buy a house and settle down, so China people will never get a foothold in the United States.
Strong national pride made Sun Qicheng feel deeply unfair.
1984, with the support of his family, Sun Qicheng founded Abacus Federal Savings Bank. Abacus, which means "abacus" in English, is a national treasure that embodies China's cultural classics and symbolizes the prosperity of business, hence the name "National Treasure Bank".
Sun Qicheng has a firm belief in his heart: "We should combine the career of National Treasure Bank with the interests of overseas Chinese."
In this way, Sun Qicheng worked conscientiously for more than 20 years, helped countless Chinese families in new york, and accumulated a high reputation and prestige in new york. Even Peter McKinley, the owner of the Empire State Building, deposited his savings in the National Treasure Bank.
During this period, he started many new businesses related to China people settling in the United States, including applying for low-interest loans from the United States to help China people, especially low-income families, buy houses and build their homes.
But unexpectedly, this has also become the main excuse for future US prosecutors' allegations.
In 2008, the American subprime mortgage crisis broke out. Greedy big banks on Wall Street packaged and sold high-risk loans, and the chain reaction triggered by the credit crisis eventually gave birth to the financial tsunami.
After the crisis, the United States, which hastily took over the market, decided to misappropriate taxpayers' 700 billion dollars to fill the deficit in order to save the decline of the American economic order when tens of millions of Americans were unemployed, bankrupt and cut off their supply.
At this time, the American people were dissatisfied because the taxes they paid were used to cover the deficit.
Although the chief culprit of the subprime mortgage crisis is the financial institutions on Wall Street, the big banks and stock exchanges that have been subsidized by * * * all have the reason that they are "too big to fail". The United States, riding a tiger, took the national treasure bank, a small bank ranked 2000, as a scapegoat for the whole financial crisis.
Even more absurd is that, as the film title "National Treasure Bank: Small enough to go to jail" said, although the average bad debt rate of mortgage loans in the United States is 5%, the national treasure is less than 0.5%.
However, the Chinatown Community Bank in New York, founded by Chinese immigrants, was pushed to the dock by Manhattan prosecutors and became the only financial institution that was criminally prosecuted by the United States.
In 2009, the nightmare of National Treasure Bank began. They were accused by the US District Attorney's Office of 65,438+082 counts of forging business records, civil loan fraud and conspiracy.
At this time, Sun Qicheng was 74 years old. This typical early immigrant who pursued and realized the "American dream" never imagined that he struggled for serving the Chinese community all his life, but suffered such a disaster in his later years.
What is even more shameful is that all bank staff have also suffered unreasonable treatment.
Dozens of China employees of National Treasure Bank were inexplicably accused, detained, investigated, appeared in court and testified. Even without any evidence, they were like enslaved prisoners, with their heads down and chained together, and countless flashlights shone on them.
It is even more embarrassing for female employees to be caught in prostitution. There is nothing wrong with them, they are just treated like this. All this really happened in the so-called free country-the United States.
This kind of arrest has no precedent in the United States, and even American lawyers are shocked.
"I have been a prosecutor and I have never been soft on crime, but I have never seen such a thing. These people were humiliated in public, which was absolutely intentional and without any justifiable reason, "said the defense lawyer of National Treasure Bank.
In addition to this public humiliation, the American media also took the opportunity to hit people when they were down. The headlines of major media reported "China people with yellow skin who are unruly and love to play tricks".
Faced with this unbearable treatment, Sun Qicheng's youngest daughter, who was working in the district attorney's office at that time, resigned angrily. She no longer believes in justice and fairness in the United States, but sees their incompetence and arrogance, which completely disappoints her.
"I have never seen such a bully."
"My father's people they all know.
Why do people do this? "
"I have never seen such a bully." "They all know my father's character. Why do people do this? "
Sun Qicheng's wife once couldn't eat, couldn't sleep and didn't want to associate with outsiders. ...
Under the circumstances at that time, if Sun Qicheng chose to compromise and plead guilty, he would probably have to pay a fine of $6 million. After all, even international banks are reluctant to confront these institutions.
But in the face of such great humiliation and daunting authority, Sun Qicheng chose a difficult road: no matter what the price, he will go to court to the end!
This is not only for the innocence of National Treasure Bank, but also for the honor of Chinese community!
Sun Qicheng and his eldest daughter and second daughter's documentary "National Treasure Bank: Small enough to go to jail" stills.
Fortunately, China families who have always attached importance to education will benefit from education again. Sun Qicheng is definitely not a resigned lamb. His family became his best armor.
Stills of the documentary "National Treasure Bank: Small enough to go to prison"
Daughter who can't speak Chinese: the battle of honor
Behind Sun Qicheng, from lawyers and bankers to prosecutors and doctors, Sun Qicheng's four daughters received the best education since childhood.
"They don't know that Thomas (Sun Qicheng's English name) is not so easy to bully. And my daughters are also strong, smart, brave and capable women! " On the big screen, Sun Qicheng's wife, Zeng Huilin, said to the camera.
Sun Qicheng's wife Zeng Huilin faces the camera.
These girls, who grew up in wealthy white areas in Kangzhou, Kangzhou, did not speak Chinese for a long time, which seemed to be out of place with the ruin of Chinatown. "We are a lost generation, because as parents of immigrants, we are so eager to integrate us into the mainstream society."
Since childhood, Sun Qicheng has made great efforts in cultivating his daughter. Except for one daughter who studied medicine, the other three daughters all graduated from prestigious schools and majored in law. Among them, the second daughter with an MBA degree from Wharton Business School took over her father's position as president and CEO, and the other two daughters both worked in the local procuratorate.
"Dad said that we should become prosecutors, because this is the best way to gain experience and career development."
However, the procuratorate of Manhattan, the world financial center, is by no means so easy to deal with.
In order to make Bao Guoyin plead guilty to the law, the procuratorate sent hundreds of professional lawyers to thoroughly investigate, retrieve files, tear up transaction records and search funds one by one ... In five years, it launched a fierce legal offensive against Bao Guoyin.
For the sake of family property, justice and reputation, several girls guard their elderly father in the legal and financial fields.
Stills of the documentary "National Treasure Bank: Small enough to go to prison"
On the screen, the family stays together, they order takeout from the Chinese restaurant, and discuss the tasting strategy while eating. They sat around the dinner table again and again to discuss, and they jostled each other again and again to go to court.
In the five years of fighting against the procuratorate, these girls could have been elected to public office and rushed to the peak of their lives, but when their families were framed and fell to the bottom, they stood together and fought against the grand jury of the whole district procuratorate.
Sun Qicheng and his national treasure bank have not only the support of their families, but also the help and spiritual support of the whole Chinese society.
Neighbors in Chinatown also appeared in the film, supporting the National Treasure Bank against * * *
Under the director's recording lens, although the whole process is full of hardships, Sun Qicheng's family's firm self-confidence, optimism and enthusiasm, as well as the warmth of the family, give this documentary, which should be full of depression and anger, a humorous atmosphere.
Finally, in the face of the crushed American power, the daughters successfully dealt with the jury with American logic and legal thinking.