15 women accused of running brothels in Dallas after 8 massage parlors busted - Dallas...

[massage]

Fifteen women were arrested and eight brothels were shut down last month in northwest Dallas as part of a sex-trafficking investigation, authorities say.

The women, all of whom were owners or managers of massage parlors in northwest Dallas, were arrested in stings Aug. 26. Most of the women were booked into the Dallas County Jail on charges of aggravated promotion of prostitution, a third-degree felony.

The charge carries a minimum of two to 10 years in prison if convicted, and a fine of up to $10,000.

Two of the arrested women, Connie Su Moser and Kum Shugars, are charged with using a facility of interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise for using cellphones and the internet to promote prostitution at Dallas Doll House, according to the North Texas Trafficking Task Force. Moser, the owner of Dallas Doll House, also faces one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

The Texas Department of Public Safety's criminal investigations division, Dallas police and U.S. Homeland Security agents and detectives conducted the sting operation.

The U.S. attorney's office is prosecuting the cases. A representative from the office declined to comment because the investigation is continuing.

Five of the massage parlors — Number 1 Spa, Green Spa, Home Town Spa, Dupond Studio and 7 Star Spa — were within a one-block radius of each other on Walnut Hill Lane near Harry Hines Boulevard.

Two other massage parlors, Empire Spa and Gold One Spa, were in the 2000 block of Northwest Highway in a strip mall. The Dallas Doll House is in the 5000 block of Sharp Street, a bit farther south of the other massage parlors

Those charged are:

• 
  Myoungsa Gilliland, 53, Dallas
  
  
• Soo Jin Cho, 48, Dallas
• 
  In Sun Lee, 59, Carrollton
  
  
• Un Hui Kamemoto, 55, Dallas
• Yong Suk Lee, 65, Dallas
• Yon Im Canapp, 58, Dallas
• Un Toner, 55, Dallas
• Jung Ja Hwang, 73, Dallas
• 
  Kwangsun Kang, 72, Dallas
  
  
• Sun Williams, 64, Dallas
• Im Gyeong Sook, 53, Irving
• Suk Chong Freeman, 58, Honolulu
• In Cha Kennedy, 54, Farmers Branch
• Connie Su Moser, 63, Lewisville,
• Kum Shugars, 67

In the days leading up to the stings, undercover agents visited the massage parlors they suspected of promoting prostitution. In most cases, an agent pretended he wanted a massage and paid the manager. During the massages, employees asked agents if they wanted to have sex. The agents then found excuses — including faking an asthma attack — to leave the premises.

The agents returned to the massage parlors Aug. 26 and arrested the managers and owners. According to affidavits, the brothel managers oversaw at least 21 women, some of whom police believe were victims of sex trafficking.

As of June 30, there were 307 reported cases of human trafficking in Texas, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. Of those, 207 were sex trafficking cases.

Commercial-front brothels make up the top venues for sex trafficking in Texas. Thirty-two of them had been reported as of June 30.

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