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Queens Madam Allegedly Forced Women Into Sex Slavery
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jun 30, 2010
Modified Jun 30, 2010
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jun 30, 2010
Modified Jun 30, 2010
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A Queens madam has been arrested for allegedly living the high life at the expense of naive Korean girls. Responding to ads in Korean newspapers for nail technician work, the women were forced into prostitution by Jin Hua Cui, and threatened to tell their families they were prostitutes or "have Chinese gangs kill them" if they didn't cooperate. The women were brought to two brothels disguised as nail salons in Long Island, one which advertised a "Stimulus Plan."
According to Suffolk County DA Thomas Spota, "The victims were picked up daily in Flushing by the driver, co-defendant Sangyel Kuen of Flushing, and transported to massage parlors in Hicksville and Huntington Station." They were forced to have sex for between $60 and $80, but Cui pocketed all the tips. Kuen pleaded guilty at an arraignment last week to promoting prostitution in the third degree. Detectives also searched Cui's multi-million dollar home and the two brothels, discovering $20,000 in cash and over 1,000 condoms. Spota told the Post, "Her success came at a price to the women that she enslaved."
Locals were surprised that the neighborhood "Asian Bodywork" shops turned out to be falsely advertising its services. One Catholic school teacher told the Daily News, "I never suspected anything like this. You hardly ever saw her, but if she is running a sex ring, I guess she's been busy." Cui pleaded not guilty to promoting prostitution and sex trafficking, and is held in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Tagged
crime
long island
madam
nail salon
prostitution
queens
sex slavery
Jaya Saxena
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