Boston, Massachusetts, USA, United States
On November 30, 2011, Don Kai Chen, 43, Quincy, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to transport women in interstate travel for the purpose of prostitution. On November 16, 2011, Jin Liang Chen 31, pleaded guilty to engaging in a conspiracy to transport women in interstate travel for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, and harboring aliens. As alleged in the Indictment, from August of 2004 through February of 2010, defendants Hong Wei, a/k/a “Ms. Chen,” 37, of Flushing, N.Y.; Jing Liang Chen, a/k/a “Mike,” 30, of Quincy, Mass.; Xiang Hua Zhang, a/k/a “Darren,” 27, of Flushing, N.Y.; Yu En Jin, a/k/a “Eric,” 26, of Quincy, Mass.; and Don Kai Chen, engaged in a conspiracy to entice Asian women to travel to Mass. for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. Jin Liang Chen faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy and inducing travel for prostitution, 20 years on each of the two forced labor charges and 10 years on each of the two charges of harboring aliens. Jin Liang Chen will be sentenced by Judge George O’Toole on Mar. 7, 2012, at 2 p.m. At the plea hearing, Chen admitted that from August of 2004 through March of 2010, he conspired with co-defendant Hong Wei to entice Asian women to travel to Massachusetts for purposes of engaging in prostitution. Darren Liu previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy, and was sentenced last week to 21 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. At the plea hearing, Don Kai Chen admitted that from August of 2004 through February of 2010, he conspired with defendant Hong Wei, a/k/a “Ms. Chen”, to transport women to Mass. from out of state for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. Judge George A. O’Toole, Jr. scheduled Don Kai Chen’s sentencing for February 2, 2012. Don Kai Chen faces up to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on the conspiracy charge. The Indictment charges defendants Wei and Jing Liang Chen with sex trafficking and harboring illegal aliens and using force, fraud and coercion to cause the women to engage in a commercial sex act which the defendants benefitted from financially. All of the defendants are charged with engaging in a conspiracy to coerce and entice women to travel to Mass. for the purpose of engaging in prostitution. The conspiracy involved the use of advertising in various newspapers in N.Y., Calif., Mass. and elsewhere, seeking the services of Asian women to work in the defendants’ brothels. The women generally arrived at South Street Bus Station in Boston from N.Y. and elsewhere around the country, and were thereafter transported to various apartments throughout Mass. where they then engaged in prostitution. Some of the women were not legally in the U.S. when they were harbored in the brothels. Some of the women were forced to work in the brothels.