08/21/2008

Associated Press

Three owners and operators of massage parlors in Johnson County, Kan., pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to engaging in human trafficking by forcing employees recruited from China to engage in prostitution.

U.S. Attorney John Wood said 46-year-old Ling Xu, also known as "Cherry," 36-year-old Zhong Yan Liu, also known as "Lucky," and 22-year-old Cheng Tang, also known as "Tom," pleaded guilty in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan.

Each admitted to coercing people to travel across state lines and international borders to engage in prostitution and illegal sexual services. They also pleaded guilty to money laundering by wiring more than $500,000 from the illegal activity to China.

Officials say Asian females were forced to work from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week in the massage parlors performing sexual acts for customers.

"Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery that reaches from the other side of the globe to the suburban Midwest," Wood said. "Chinese women were recruited to travel to Kansas City, then coerced to work as prostitutes at massage parlors."

He said the businesses have been shut down and social services have been provided to the victims.

All three could face sentences of up to 40 years in federal prison without parole. Xu also could get a mandatory two-year term without parole for aggravated identity theft after pleading guilty to using passports and identification of her female workers to wire money to China.

The three also agreed to forfeit to the government $452,000 in proceeds from the prostitution and $60,497 that was seized by the FBI while executing search warrants at the defendants' homes and businesses.

Wood said they used surveillance cameras inside the massage parlors to monitor the Asian workers, who were forced to perform sexual acts for money. The three also had an apartment within walking distance where some of the prostitution took place, he said.

A co-defendant, Hongmei Madole, 32, of Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty April 24 to similar charges.