Screening of ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail with AD1
Supreme Court of the State of New York
Appellate Division, First Department
Compelling Film and Discussion
May 19, 2025
Photo (L-R): Abacus Board of Directors member Vera Sung, Abacus President and CEO Jill Sung, Chanterelle Sung, who serves as the Queens District Attorney’s Director of Policy Initiatives, and Appellate Division, First Department Presiding Justice Dianne T. Renwick at the May 19th viewing of the compelling documentary, "ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail"
The story of a Chinese immigrant family-owned savings bank that became the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis was the focus of a recent program hosted by the Appellate Division, First Department.
The Manhattan event, held in recognition of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, featured a viewing of the compelling, Oscar-nominated documentary, “ABACUS: Small Enough to Jail,” detailing the Sung family’s five-year legal battle to defend their reputation and their bank’s legacy. Ultimately, the Abacus Federal Savings Bank was exonerated of all charges, now operating in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The aggressive prosecution of Abacus for mortgage fraud, compared to the more lenient treatment of the “big banks,” was criticized by the media.
Appellate Division, First Department Presiding Justice Dianne T. Renwick opened the program, with members of the Sung family joining Fordham University School of Law Professor Thomas Lee for a thought-provoking discussion following the viewing of the film.
Senior U.S. Court of Appeals-Second Circuit Judge Denny Chin was also among the speakers at the well-attended program, coordinated by Professor Lee and Kathy Hirata Chin, chair of Fordham Law School’s Center on Asian Americans and the Law Advisory Council. The Center, along with the Historical Society of the New York Courts, sponsored the program.
The Manhattan event was one of numerous AAPI Heritage Month programs hosted by courts in New York City and around the State in May.
Photo: Senior U.S. Court of Appeals-Second Circuit Judge Denny Chin was among the speakers at the Appellate Division, First Department’s AAPI Heritage Month program in Manhattan
This article was originally published on the New York State Unified Court System website on May 19, 2025.
The original article can be found at: https://www.nycourts.gov/AAPI/articles.shtml#aapi-post-6
This copy is shared solely for archival purposes in case the original source becomes unavailable. All rights belong to the original author and publisher.