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Karaoke operator allegedly forced 3 women to engage in prostitution
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Posted on Jun 09 2012
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
Reporter
A karaoke club operator who was arrested last week in Guam after being indicted in federal court on Saipan of sex trafficking was brought to the U.S. District Court for the NMI yesterday afternoon.
Chang Ru Meng Backman, 39, appeared in court without a lawyer.
Assistant U.S. attorney Rami S. Badawy informed the court regarding the proceedings held in Guam after Backman’s arrest.
Backman told the court it was her decision to hire her own attorney and that attorney Randall Cunliffe was going to find counsel for her.
Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona granted the U.S. government’s motion to unseal the case and to continue detaining the suspect pending future proceedings.
Arraignment will be on June 12, 2012.
Manglona remanded Backman to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.
The indictment charged Backman with three counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion and three counts of alien smuggling-harboring.
According to the indictment, Backman operated the Holiday Night Club, a karaoke bar on the second floor of a building in Chalan Kanoa. The club also allegedly provided sexual services for an added fee.
Backman received money from customers of the club for sexual services performed by women at her direction. Sex acts performed by these women generally took place in rooms where the women lived in a barracks adjacent to the Holiday Night Club.
Backman, among other things, allegedly provided women with condoms and received money directly from customers.
On occasion, Backman allegedly transported the women to and from the Holiday Night Club to various locations for customers to engage in sex acts with women at Backman’s direction.
Three Chinese women traveled to the CNMI in August 2008 based upon promises of jobs at a hotel or a farm on Saipan. Backman allegedly coerced the three women to engage in commercial sex acts.
The defendant allegedly provided housing to the three women, whose visitors’ entry permits had expired.
