Nov 19, 2022 By Mike Jones 4 min read

The victim in the Rostraver Township shooting earlier this month and the suspect charged in connection with his killing were once business associates in the Mon Valley until their relationship soured, according to people who knew of both men.

Boyke Budiarachman sold his van transport company – which specialized in shuttling migrant workers to various jobs in the Charleroi area – to Keven Van Lam a few years ago, but Budiarachman apparently continued a side business in competition with Lam, one of the transport drivers said Friday in an interview with the Observer-Reporter.

The driver, who identified himself only as Jerry K. in order to speak about the situation, worked for Lam’s Philadelphia-based transport company called Prompt Management Services Inc. until about a month ago. He said after the two men completed their business transaction, there was an understanding Budiarachman would no longer offer transport services, so there apparently was animosity between them when Lam learned Budiarachman essentially was “undercutting” his former associate’s business by “using other people” to drive the immigrants around the area, Jerry said.

Budiarachman, 49, of Rostraver Township, was gunned down Nov. 5 in the Rostraver Square parking lot in what investigators have said was a “targeted, isolated attack” on the victim. Authorities have not released any additional information, including the charges Lam, 55, is facing upon his arrest a day after the shooting or what role he may have allegedly played in Budiarachman’s killing. A spokesperson for Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli declined to say whether other people have been charged or if they’re searching for more suspects in the case.

More details of the case are expected to be revealed during Lam’s preliminary hearing, which is currently scheduled for 10 a.m. Dec. 19 before District Judge Wayne Vlasic in Monessen. The district attorney’s office sealed the case, citing Rule 513 of Criminal Procedures that allows the criminal complaints and other details to remain secret until the preliminary hearing, although it’s unusual for the charges to not be disclosed. Several area newspapers are considering taking legal action in Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas to unseal the case or have more details made public.

In the days since Budiarachman’s killing, Jerry said many immigrants in the area have been fearful for their safety and possible deportation. Some have left while others have not returned to work, he said.

A source with knowledge of the business relationship between Budiarachman and Lam contacted the Observer-Reporter and spoke about the situation under the condition of anonymity. The source corroborated Jerry’s explanation of recent events between the former business associates and their falling out.

Jerry said there are other businesses owned separately by Budiarachman and Lam, and that was confirmed by property deed listings in Washington County that showed they were associated with separate real estate holdings. However, it’s unclear how many different businesses each of them owned.

One of them that Budiarachman owned was Ezzy Labor Inc., which is listed as an employment agency specializing in transporting migrants, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s licensing website. The company listed seven working vehicles in its 2017 filing and was based at an Isabella Street home in North Charleroi. A white transport van could be seen parked outside the house Friday, although no one answered the door when a reporter visited the property.

Lam’s company, known in the community as “Prompt,” is listed in state Department of State business records as being based on Mifflin Street in Philadelphia. According to Washington County real estate records, Budiarachman’s Eastern Real Estate Services company sold four of his properties in the Charleroi area on the same day in June 2020 to Prestigious Investments LLC, which has the same Mifflin Street address where Lam is listed as living and doing business.

Several white vans with the letters “PR” and a number on the side could be seen parked at locations around Charleroi, although Jerry said “Prompt” has all but dissolved in the wake of Lam’s arrest.

The contracted van industry is thriving in the Charleroi area, as the migrant population, which typically does not have access to transportation, grows with work available at places like the Fourth Street Foods meat packing plant. In addition to Budiarachman’s ownership of the transport and real estate companies, he also worked at Fourth Street Foods in an unknown role.

A funeral service for Budiarachman was held Nov. 11 in Philadelphia, and he was buried at a cemetery in his homeland of Indonesia on Nov. 14. Lam had home addresses in Rostraver Township and Philadelphia, according to traffic citations filed in the area in 2020 and 2022.