The sign in the window of the Long Island massage parlor advertised their new "stimulus plan," a clever double entendre hoping to attract customers looking for a bargain and more than just a massage. But inside wasn't a group of witty young masseuses, but several young Korean women who had accepted jobs in America working in a nail salon. Instead of the jobs promised, they were forced into prostitution in a brothel disguised as a massage parlor.
Yesterday, officers charged Jin Hua Cui with running a human trafficking ring to lure young girls from Korea to the U.S. and force them into prostitution. Hua Cui posted help wanted ads, for what she claimed were nail salons in New York, offering Korean girls the chance to earn a good living. But when they arrived, they soon learned that no nail salon existed, and they were expected to sell sex instead of manicures. At least seven women were sold out of the massage parlor for $60 to $80 an act, all of which was pocketed by Hua Cui. And, surprise, surprise, the front business Asian Bodyworks advertised their "very lovely girls" on Craigslist.
To keep the women obedient, Hua Cui threatened them with violence and promised to tell their friends and family in Korea that they were prostitutes. She also claimed she could have Chinese gangs kill them. All this time, Hua Cui lived in a sprawling, mutli-million dollar mansion on Long Island. She kept the earnings of the young women she controlled, and all they got was a life of slavery instead of the job promised.
Sadly, this story is not terribly unusual. Massage parlors, especially those who employ exclusively Asian women, are often fronts for brothels full of human trafficking victims. Sometimes, as in this case from New York, the women travel to America thinking they'll be doing something completely different than prostitution, like work in a nail salon. Other times, women accept jobs they know will be sexual, but believe they'll be keeping all their money and controlling who they have sex with. No matter the reason a woman comes to the U.S., as soon as her freedom to leave is taken away, she is a trafficking victim.
No word yet as to what will happen to the seven women who were a part of this scheme, but hopefully they'll be treated respectfully, provided with appropriate services, and given as choice whether to remain in the U.S. or go back to Korea.
Photo credit: the prodigal untitled13
Amanda Kloer has been a full-time abolitionist for six years. She currently develops trainings and educational materials for civil attorneys representing victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence.
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