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Court unseals indictment vs. businesswoman, boyfriend
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Posted on Jan 08 2006
An amended indictment was filed against a businesswoman and her boyfriend who were arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges they recruited three women from China as waitresses and a massage therapist, but forced them to work as prostitutes at their karaoke bar in Garapan.
Zheng Ming Yan, alias Li-Na, and Liu Chang Da, were indicted with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, foreign transportation for prostitution and foreign transportation of persons in execution of fraud scheme; three counts of sex trafficking; two counts of foreign transportation for prostitution; two counts of foreign transportation of persons in execution of fraud scheme; and two counts of forfeiture allegation.
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson unsealed the superseding indictment last Wednesday following the request of the U.S. government.
Zheng and Liu pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Court records show that FBI arrested Liu on Dec. 29, 2005. Zheng was arrested by the FBI in September 2005.
According to U.S. Attorney Timothy Moran in court papers, Zheng managed and operated the Tea House as a commercial sex house although it was a nightclub.
Moran said Zheng was the secretary and a shareholder of Greate Corp. or Great Corp., which owned the Tea House.
Zheng was also the president and sold shareholder of Perfect Corp. that owned the Chan Ming Market.
Zheng’s boyfriend, Liu, served as manager of Chan Ming Market.
Moran said that beginning in August 2004, the defendants together with others fraudulently operated an illegal commercial sex at the Tea House.
The defendants allegedly recruited three women from Dalian, China, on promises that they would be given high-paying jobs at legitimate businesses on Saipan.
The recruited three women were asked to pay in excess of $5,000 each for travel costs and authorization to enter and work on Saipan, the prosecutor said.
Upon arrival on the island, the women were compelled to work as prostitutes and paid only below the contracted wages, Moran said.
Zheng allegedly collected the women’s earnings from prostitution. (Ferdie de la Torre)
