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December 20, 2007
St. Paul man charged in alleged illegal alien prostitution operation
MINNEAPOLIS - A St. Paul man was charged Friday in federal court here with transporting illegal aliens into the United States and using them to engage in prostitution throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area. This case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other local law enforcement agencies.
Liqing Liu, 41, was charged Dec. 14 with one count of transporting a person to engage in prostitution following his arrest Thursday. According to an ICE affidavit, investigators learned that individuals had been transporting women into the United States from various Asian countries to engage in prostitution. The prostitution occurred in both apartments and businesses that advertise as massage parlors.
ICE received an anonymous letter in August outlining the prostitution operation. The letter alleged that Chinese women worked at a brothel for two to three weeks and were then rotated out of Minnesota. To corroborate the information in the letter, ICE investigators searched classified ads in local newspapers and Internet ads for in- and out-call massage service.
The affidavit alleges that the brothel consistently changed locations, and officers observed activity consistent with a prostitution business at many locations, including: an office in St. Louis Park, at several Minneapolis residences, and various motels in Bloomington, Golden Valley, Plymouth and Minneapolis. The affidavit alleges that Liu arranged for the women to travel to Minnesota from California, New York and Texas, and that he picks them up at the airport.
If convicted, Liu faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge determines all sentences.
This case is the result of an investigation by ICE, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), and the police departments of Bloomington, Minneapolis, Plymouth, St. Louis Park and St. Paul, Minn. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika R. Mozangue is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Department of Justice reports that an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked annually across international borders for involuntary servitude or use in the sex trades. An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 are trafficked within the U.S. each year. According to the Justice Department, the Twin Cities metropolitan area is one of the 15 largest human trafficking centers in the nation.
Earlier this month ICE launched a public service campaign targeting human trafficking. In the last three fiscal years, ICE initiated 958 nationwide investigations into human trafficking organizations that resulted in 520 arrests, 339 criminal indictments and 281 criminal convictions, and seized more than $9 million. If you suspect human trafficking activity in your community, please call 1-866-347-2423.
-- ICE --
