Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Houston have taken custody of Minh Duy Tong Nguyen, also known as “Tony Playboy,” following his release from state prison after decades behind bars for a 1990 murder conviction tied to a deadly 1989 gang shooting.
The case drew national attention in the early 1990s after Nguyen was featured on the television program America’s Most Wanted before being captured in Canada and returned to Texas for trial.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Nguyen is a Vietnamese national who came to the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 1980. Federal officials said he later became associated with the Nomads, a Vietnamese street gang active in the Houston area during the late 1980s.
Authorities said Nguyen was involved in a Jan. 30, 1989, shootout at Givral’s Sandwich Shop in Houston’s Little Saigon district. Investigators said the gunfire left two people dead and three others injured.
While other suspects were quickly arrested, officials said Nguyen fled the United States and remained a fugitive until being featured on America’s Most Wanted on Jan. 14, 1990.
Law enforcement authorities later located Nguyen in Toronto, Canada, and extradited him to Texas the following month.
A Harris County jury convicted Nguyen of murder in May 1990 in the 263rd District Court. He was sentenced to 45 years in prison. Appeals courts later upheld the conviction, according to federal officials.
Immigration records cited by ICE show removal proceedings began in 1991, and the Board of Immigration Appeals finalized a deportation order in 1998.
ICE officers in Houston said they took custody of Nguyen on April 16 after Texas prison officials honored an immigration detainer upon his release.
ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said the case reflected the agency’s continued focus on taking custody of removable noncitizens convicted of serious crimes once they complete criminal sentences.
Nguyen remains in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings, according to federal officials.
The 1989 shooting became one of the more widely known gang-related homicide cases in Houston during that era and was frequently cited as part of broader concerns about organized street gang violence affecting immigrant communities in major U.S. cities.
Federal authorities have not announced a timetable for Nguyen’s removal.
