An Asian American couple who were charged with running a sex trafficking operation in north Texas were sentenced to federal prison.
Quan Tu (a/k/a Aaron Tu Chan), 48, pleaded guilty on July 6, 2020, to coercing and enticing individuals to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Dec. 9 by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant.
A co-defendant, Li Xin, 45, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to travel or causing another to use interstate facilities to promote, manage, establish, or carry on an unlawful prostitution business. On October 1, 2020, Judge Mazzant sentenced Xin to 57 months’ imprisonment.
According to information presented in court, beginning in December 2018, the Richardson, Texas Police Department received numerous complaints from the public that men were traveling to a condominium at all hours of the day and night, and that some of these men were knocking on neighbors’ doors, seeking sexual services.
Further investigation by a state and federal task force revealed that Tu and Xin were operating a prostitution enterprise from the condo unit. During the investigation, it was revealed that Tu and Xin operated similar commercial sex rings out of a single-family residence in Plano and the ABC Foot Spa in Garland.
“Sex trafficking is amongst the most heinous crimes a person can commit,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen Cox.
As part of their guilty pleas, Tu and Xin admitted that they maintained all three properties and that they had women engaged in commercial sex at these locations between December 2018 and August 2019.
“Sex trafficking is amongst the most heinous crimes a person can commit,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen Cox.
As part of their guilty pleas, Tu and Xin admitted that they maintained all three properties and that they had women engaged in commercial sex at these locations between December 2018 and August 2019.
The defendants admitted that they and other co-conspirators used Internet-based texting applications to communicate with women and entice them to travel to Texas to work as masseuses.
The women came from various locations, including New York City, China, and Australia. Tu admitted to driving to Houston and other locations to bring women back to the properties.
The women lived and serviced customers at the properties, with the conspirators soliciting clients through online advertisements for commercial sexual services.
Tu and Xin admitted to not only collecting all of the women’s earnings, but additionally charging the women $20 per day. Tu and Xin only permitted the women to keep their tips, thus compelling the women to engage in commercial sex in order to earn enough money to purchase food and basic necessities.
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