Arrested were prostitutes, madams and johns on charges including prostitution,
solicitation and keeping a place of prostitution, Denver vice Sgt. Mark Fleecs
said. Sixteen of the businesses are now closed.
The busts also have revealed stories of human trafficking from women in the
massage parlors described by police as too frightened to cooperate.
"We'll continue to be very aggressive in addressing this disturbing problem,"
said Dave Fisher, division chief of investigations.
Fleecs said his unit will keep the pressure on the illegal operations as well
as pursue trafficking cases when they hear about them from the women involved.
The problem, he said, is that the women are not willing to testify because
those who control their lives in massage parlors have alleged ties to organized
crime, such as the Korean mob.
"They'll give us information on how it works, but when it comes down to
convincing them to be involved in a prosecution case, it's tough," said Fleecs,
noting that only five of the 16 women identified as workers agreed to talk, and
only then in general terms. "They're afraid."
Some of the women contacted by media declined to comment. Others could not be
reached.
Earlier this year, acting US Attorney Bill Leone said that sex slavery is rare.
But he acknowledged that human trafficking is worth more investigation.
Costly road to the US
The route from Korea to a US massage parlor is an elaborate one, according to
Fleecs. Women are allegedly brought illegally into the US from Korea and other
countries by "brokers," men who are members of the mob.
The brokers typically drive them in through Mexico or Canada and then bring the
women into San Francisco or Los Angeles, because of the large Asian communities
and coastal access in those cities.
Once in the US, the brokers transfer the women's smuggling debts - ranging from
$10,000 to $30,000 - to a massage parlor employer who holds their passports and
other documents while the women live there and work seven days a week.
"If she wants to leave, she can't leave until the money is paid," one massage
parlor worker told The Denver Post, which is withholding her name for her
protection.
To go anywhere, the women are transported by "taxi drivers," also members of
the mob, who act as liaisons between the brokers and the women who run the
Asian massage parlors.
Massage parlors are usually converted homes, or small, inconspicuous spaces in
strip malls, cheaply and hastily furnished.
Often, the operator takes her workers gambling, pushing them deeper into debt,
officials say.
Many times, the women are not told of the nature of their work until after they
arrive here.
Of those who do know they will be prostitutes, they are probably victims of
human trafficking because they face large debts they cannot pay and they are
not free to go, said Olga Trujillo, a Washington, DC-based consultant to the
government on immigration and trafficking and a former US Department of Justice
special crimes director.
"This is a top priority"
Because of a lack of awareness, police officers often don't recognize
trafficking when they see it, Trujillo said.
Officials from the FBI and the US attorney's office in Denver said they could
not comment, citing ongoing investigations. However, both agencies underscored
their commitment to the issue.
"This is a top priority of the Department of Justice," said Jeff Dorschner, a
spokesman for the US attorney's office. "The department is working on training
and sensitivity issues with law enforcement so they know what to look for and
can immediately act."
Denver police and federal officials, including those with US Immigration and
Customs Enforcement, say there is a connection between a recent major
enforcement operation on Asian massage parlors in Los Angeles and San Francisco
and the investigation in Denver.
In the California case, a federal grand jury in June indicted 29 people on
charges that included conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants, sex trafficking,
money-laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to transport female Korean nationals
across state lines with the intent to engage in prostitution.
After the arrests there, brokers shuttled dozens of Korean women to Denver,
Fleecs said, only to find that police were making prostitution arrests and
closing massage parlors throughout the city.
Like many of the Korean women in the industry, she now works at a massage
parlor outside Denver police jurisdiction.
In other US cities, she said, Asian massage parlors are swiftly increasing in
number, with a never-ending supply of workers.
A recent police report provided by Fleecs shows one such case of a young woman
who came from Korea by way of Canada.
Afraid to go home as a failure, afraid of the mob, she keeps the reality of her
life from those in her homeland who love her.
"My family in Korea think I'm waitress at sushi bar," she said.
The woman bonded out of jail, a driver picked her up, and she disappeared.
