In a recent crackdown on human trafficking in Queens, three individuals have been indicted on charges related to running a sex trafficking operation out of a Flushing massage parlor. The defendants are allegedly responsible for coercing a Colombian woman into prostitution under the threat of withholding her daughter's arrival in the United States, as reported by the Queens District Attorney's Office.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz described the scenario as a young mother of two being victimized in her quest to reunite with her child, the unfortunate woman had to endure sexual exploitation to clear a fabricated debt, and the information reveals that she was initially told she would not have to engage in sex work after paying a $14,000 fee for her daughter’s transportation from Colombia. Katz stated, "The defendants are accused of victimizing a young mother of two trying to reunite with her underage daughter" and urged victims to come forward for assistance, as per the Queens District Attorney's Office.
Among the accused, Kwai Ling Chan, 47, and her husband Bobby Chen, 38, both of Elmhurst, are facing multiple counts of sex trafficking and promoting prostitution, while Tashi Chimchu, 34, of Forest Hills, has been indicted on similar charges, including unlawfully possessing noxious material. Supreme Court Justice Peter Vallone has scheduled Chan and Chen to reappear in court on November 12, and if convicted, they could face up to 25 years in prison for the top count.
The indictments allege that Chan and Chen exploited the victim through deception, initially suggesting a debt to be paid through non-sexual massage services but then, they progressively coerced her into having sex with clients, threatening her with the safety of her daughters if she resisted, and defendant Chimchu was apprehended during an undercover operation for handling client arrangements, including negotiations and scheduling for sexual services he was found to be complicit in handling the proceeds which were eventually funneled to Chan or Chen.
Officials including Police Officer Yingkai Kong, Sergeants Jingbo Chi and Sasha Rosen, and Deputy Inspector Stanislav Levitsky of the NYPD's Queens Vice Enforcement Division, along with the NYPD Human Trafficking Homeland Security Task Force, conducted the investigation. Assistant District Attorneys Kiran Cheema and Marilyn Filingeri are prosecuting the case, under the higher supervision of Jessica Melton, Bureau Chief, and Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Gerard Brave.
