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SHERMAN, Texas – U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox reports that the federal court sentenced a couple charged with running a commercial sex operation in multiple locations in north Texas to federal prison.
Quan Tu (a/k/a Aaron Tu Chan), 48, pleaded guilty on July 6, 2020, to coercing and enticing individuals to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and was sentenced to 180 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant.
A co-defendant, Li Xin, 45, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to travel or causing another to use interstate facilities to promote, manage, establish, or carry on an unlawful prostitution business. On October 1, 2020, Judge Mazzant sentenced Xin to 57 months’ imprisonment.
According to information in court, beginning in December 2018, the Richardson, Texas Police Department received numerous complaints from the public that men were traveling to a condominium at all hours of the day and night. That some of these men were knocking on neighbors’ doors, seeking sexual services. Further investigation by a state and federal task force revealed that Tu and Xin were operating a prostitution enterprise from that location. The study showed that Tu and Xin worked similar commercial sex rings out of a single-family residence in Plano and the ABC Foot Spa in Garland.
“Sex trafficking is amongst the most heinous crimes a person can commit,” said U.S. Attorney Stephen Cox. “The Department of Justice is committed to battling this scourge by forging partnerships and leveraging federal resources to identify and prosecute those that would engage in such criminality.”
“Those involved in the sexual exploitation of innocent victims through manipulation or force will face dire consequences for their actions,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent in charge of Homeland Security (HSI) Dallas. “With support from our law enforcement partners, NGO’s and the public, we will continue to prosecute anyone who participates or supports this illegal and heinous commercial trade for personal gain.”
As part of their guilty pleas, Tu and Xin admitted that they maintained all three properties and had women engaged in commercial sex at these locations between December 2018 and August 2019. The defendants admitted that they and other co-conspirators used Internet-based texting applications to communicate with women and entice them to travel to Texas to work as masseuses. The women came from various locations, including New York City, China, and Australia. Tu admitted to driving to Houston and other areas to bring women back to the properties. Once in Tu and Xin’s employ, the women lived and serviced customers at the properties, with the conspirators soliciting clients through online advertisements for commercial sexual services. Tu and Xin admitted to collecting all of the women’s earnings and charging the women $20 per day. Tu and Xin only permitted the women to keep their tips, compelling them to engage in commercial sex to earn enough money to purchase food and necessities. The scheme resulted in proceeds that allowed Tu and Xin to maintain their lifestyle and purchase vehicles, including a 2017 Toyota Tundra, all of which they criminally forfeited.
Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Richardson Police Department, with the Plano Police Department, Garland Police Department, and Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller prosecuted it.