SAN FRANCISCO » A judge has denied bail to a key figure in a sweeping organized crime and public corruption case in San Francisco.

U.S. Magistrate Nathanael Cousins turned down Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow’s request to be released from jail on Wednesday. Several witnesses testified during a hearing that Chow has turned his life around since he was released early from prison for racketeering charges in 2003.

The 54-year-old Chow and State Sen. Leland Yee were among dozens arrested in March in an elaborate FBI sting targeting alleged organized crime in San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Chow has pleaded not guilty after being charged with eight counts of money laundering, one count of conspiracy to sell stolen liquor, and one count of trafficking in illegal cigarettes.

Chow is the head of a Chinatown tong, which the FBI says is a front for organized crime.