A 25-year-old man accused of committing a violent knifepoint robbery in Queens was convicted in absentia after he failed to return to court — leaving cops and prosecutors with the task of having to track him down, officials said Friday.
Michael Fan was convicted of first-degree robbery and burglary on Monday for the Sept. 7, 2022 attack on a 20-year-old woman inside her home on Parsons Blvd., but he wasn’t there to see it, prosecutors said.
Fan was last seen at a hearing on April 28, before the May 13 trial was scheduled to begin at Queens Criminal Court. The hearing was adjourned until the afternoon and Fan was told not to leave the courtroom, but he snuck out and never returned, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
A bench warrant has been issued for his arrest. He faces up to 25 years in prison when he’s sentenced on June 2.
“Michael Fan attacked a young woman as she smoked a cigarette in front of her home. She was tied up and held at knifepoint while this defendant and his accomplices ransacked the residence and stole money,” Katz said. “The defendant is at large after his trial conviction.”
Fan and two accomplices, dressed all in black and wearing black masks, jumped the young smoker outside her home at about 3 a.m. and dragged her into her apartment, where they threatened her at knifepoint, zip-tied her to a chair and ransacked her home, prosecutors said. They also threatened her with an air pistol.
The woman’s partner, who was in the basement of the building, saw what happened and called 911, officials said. As Fan and his accomplices ransacked the home, the victim managed to free herself, run out of the apartment and open the gate allowing cops access to the building.
Fan and his accomplices Sihao Wang, 24, and Dong Ming Shi, 24, scrambled out a window and tried to flee through backyards of nearby homes.
Cops immediately grabbed Wang, who dropped the air pistol as he tried to escape and had the woman’s cellphone in his pocket, prosecutors said. Shi was also quickly arrested.
Fan was found cowering under a deck in a neighboring backyard. Officials said he had $1,441 of his victim’s money when he was pulled out of his hiding place.
Wang ultimately pleaded guilty to attempted robbery in 2024 and was sentenced to two years in prison. Shi, after making bail, fled the country, cops said.
“I encourage anyone with information about Michael Fan to call the NYPD Warrant Squad at (917) 319-3780,” Katz said.
