Prosecutors revealed on Thursday that a couple from Queens, along with their associate, coerced a young Colombian mother into prostitution, insisting she must repay a $14,000 fee required to bring her 10-year-old daughter to the United States.
Kwai Ling Chan, 47, and her 38-year-old spouse, Bobby Chen, face serious sex trafficking charges connected to a disturbing scheme that allegedly compelled the Colombian mother to engage in prostitution for several months in an apartment located in Flushing, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, as stated in a press release.
The couple, along with accused accomplice Tashi Chimchu, 34, reportedly threatened the victim’s 6-year-old daughter, who was already in the U.S., if she did not meet their cruel demands, the DA asserted.
“Our office is dedicated to combating the exploitation of individuals in Queens,” Katz stated. “Victims of sex trafficking often feel trapped and forced to comply with abusive requirements.”
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According to prosecutors, Chan met the victim in June and offered to help reunite her with her daughter for a fee of $14,000 that she would have to earn by working as a masseuse in their apartment on Union Street.
The vulnerable mother consented and was compelled to hand over her passport and her daughter’s passport, with Chan reassuring her that she would not be forced to have sexual encounters with clients.
However, the arrangement quickly deteriorated as Chan and Chen broke their promise, compelling her into sexual transactions with clients “multiple times a week” between July 6 and September 4, and even escalating the fee based on fabricated infractions, the DA indicated.
Her ordeal concluded only after NYPD undercover officers intervened and arrested those responsible.
Chan and Chen, residents of Elmhurst, were charged this week with six counts of sex trafficking and four counts of promoting prostitution, and they are currently held at Rikers Island awaiting a court appearance set for November 12.
Chimchu, from Forest Hills, faces charges including three counts of sex trafficking and two counts of promoting prostitution, along with having unlawful possession of noxious materials.
He has a bail set at $500,000 and is scheduled for a court appearance at a later date.
