Documentary Screening of Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

In celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, McCarter & English teamed up with the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY), the Asian Pacific American Lawyers Association of New Jersey (APALA-NJ), and the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York (KALAGNY) to co-sponsor a screening of Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. This documentary told the saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings Bank of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., Abacus was the only bank prosecuted after the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forced the Sung family to defend themselves—and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community—over the course of a five-year legal battle. The documentary is an amazing story of a family’s resilience to fight back in the face of injustice. The screening was followed by a Q&A session with the Sung sisters moderated by Simone Wilson-Brito.