A statement from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Fridaythe six advertised their business on Backpage.com, rented apartments, drove Asian sex workers from one location to another and collected the money.This is how they made hundreds of thousands of dollars, investigators say. Authorities have so far identified 30 human trafficking victims and searched 30 locations.
Investigators tracked down the alleged leader of the group Fang Wang, as well as Yongguang Wu, Yunzhong Chen, Yaoan He, Zhaofeng Zhang, and Steven Thompson, thanks to citizen’s complaints about apartments being used for prostitution. Investigators also identified those locations as brothels through their analysis of Backpage.com, cell phone, and other business records
"These defendants ran an organized prostitution ring with tentacles into many of our cities and towns," said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes.
The six were charged with conspiracy to use a communication facility to promote prostitution. The crime is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.Â
