A brothel operator and a couple who ran an escort service were sentenced to prison today in U. All three are Chinese Nationals who will be deported following their prison terms. District Judge John C. Coughenour sentenced ZHU to 33 months in prison and three years of supervised release and JIANG to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
The three were among nine people arrested in August , following a month investigation using confidential informants, court approved wiretaps, and GPS tracking to identify those involved with a highly organized national network prostitution ring. The women would then be transported to other brothels in other cities. The couple provided Asian prostitutes to customers who called from homes, apartments and hotels in the greater Seattle area. Information about the criminal activity first surfaced in April , when the Eastside Narcotics Task Force raided the Apple Spa in Bellevue after determining it was a front for prostitution.
KANG failed to show up for his deportation hearing. In various conversations with confidential sources, or on wiretapped telephone calls, conspirators discussed how the Asian women had been smuggled into the United States.
KANG told one confidential informant that women were being smuggled into the U. The investigation determined that some of the women were smuggled into the U. The women had to pay off their debts to the smugglers by working in brothels in cities across the country. The conspirators attempted to avoid law enforcement scrutiny by using code words when talking on the phone.
They referred to the women as ethnic foods, makes of cars or as ships. They did not learn from their good fortune in escaping criminal charges back in The case was investigated by the FBI, U.
