Nine people were charged this morning in U. District Court in Seattle in connection with an international sex trafficking ring. Seven of the defendants arrested this morning will make their initial appearances in U.
District Court in Seattle at this afternoon. Two of the defendants were arrested in Los Angeles and will make their initial appearances there. Four of the defendants are also charged with Conspiracy to Engage in Money Laundering.
The ninth defendant was charged in a separate complaint with Conspiracy to Transport Individuals in Furtherance of Prostitution. According to the complaint, the defendants were involved in a highly organized national network prostitution ring. The women would then be transported to other brothels in other cities.
The pair ran an escort service in Seattle that was a front for prostitution. The couple provided Asian prostitutes to customers who called from homes, apartments and hotels in the greater Seattle area. As detailed in the lengthy complaint, the month investigation used confidential informants, court approved wiretaps, and GPS tracking to identify those involved with the sex trafficking ring.
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.
