The two-year investigation culminated with raids and arrests by local and federal law enforcement agents late Wednesday and early Thursday at five locations, including two brothels and an escort service being operated out of Seattle homes, law enforcement officials said at a news conference.
Once in the United States, the women were moved every 10 to 14 days among brothels in Seattle and other cities across the country to keep the selections "fresh" for customers and to thwart law enforcement, said John McKay, U.S. attorney for Western Washington.
One of the main suspects, Yong Jun Kang, 36, of Seattle, told a police informant that the women were smuggled in shipping containers, and sometimes taken across the border from British Columbia. Some agreed to pay as much as $50,000 for the trip, court documents say.
In telephone conversations between suspects and their customers, the brothels were referred to as restaurants and the women as wines or ethnic foods. Customers asked for "Kimchee" if they desired a Korean prostitute, or a "Pho dish" for a Vietnamese woman, court documents say.
"It is unsettling to agents and officers involved to have that kind of conversation going on," McKay said. "It was very upsetting to people who had to listen to it, and it made our efforts last night that much more rewarding,"
Seven of those arrested appeared briefly Thursday in U.S. District Court, where they listened to the allegations through court translators. Most of the suspects are Chinese citizens. The women came from China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan and Laos, officials said.
Indictments are expected within the next two weeks, U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Emily Langlie said. Those arrested included:
•  Kang, who is accused of operating brothels in Portland and Seattle and who used an online travel agency to book flights for prostitutes to and from U.S. cities.
•  Pengquan Xie, 48, and Zheng Qu, 49, who are accused of managing Kang's brothels and were arrested in Los Angeles, where they made their first court appearance.
•  Zhenhua Liu, 31, an alleged competitor of Kang's who is accused of operating a brothel and who was known by the nickname "Jo Jo." The man who is accused of managing his brothel, Bing Wang, also was arrested.
•  Liancheng Ning, 47, who is accused of transporting the women to and from Sea-Tac Airport, where they were booked on flights for work in brothels in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Portland and Las Vegas.
•  Kesheng Zhu, 38, and Rujing Jiang, 36, a husband and wife who operated an escort service advertised in the Seattle Weekly and The Stranger as "Asian Girl -- Outcalls Only -- 7 days, 24 hours," court documents say. Another woman, Thongyot Liamurai, 39, worked as a prostitute for Kang and Zhu and was a confidante to Kang, court documents say.
The investigation, dubbed "Operation Traffick Jam," began in April 2004 when officers with the Eastside Narcotics Task Force raided a Bellevue spa, which turned out to be a front for prostitution, authorities said.
Kang, Zhu and Jiang were arrested as part of that investigation but never charged, Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said. Zhu, a Chinese national, was deported but returned to the United States illegally, he said.
Jiang's deportation was delayed because she was pregnant. She, along with Kang, vanished before their immigration hearings, Greenberg said.
The FBI, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Seattle Police Department conducted the investigation, which continues.
Investigators used undercover informants, who visited the brothels, and wiretapped suspects' cellular telephones for several months to crack the organization, according to court documents. They also monitored suspects' vehicles through court-sanctioned global positioning tracking devices, court documents say.
Some of the women obtained visas but overstayed their limits. Federal authorities were unable Thursday to provide the status of all the women allegedly forced into prostitution. Mike McCool, immigration deputy special agent in charge, said that four women are being held on immigration violations.
All nine who were arrested face charges of conspiracy to transport persons in furtherance of prostitution, punishable by a maximum of five years imprisonment. Eight are also charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.
Four, including Kang, also are charged with conspiracy to engage in money laundering, which carries the stiffest maximum punishment of 20 years.
P-I reporter Scott Gutierrez can be reached at 206-448-8334 or scottgutierrez@seattlepi.com.