A criminal case involving Chinese families was recently published in Ventura County, Southern California, United States。
According to the local prosecution, a criminal group consisting of members of the Ma ' s family has long used massage parlour as a cover for commercial transactions and transfers of funds through bank accounts, casinos, life insurance and real estate。
After many years of investigation, the jury finally found that the four family members had been found guilty of multiple felonies. In addition to the possibility of facing multiple years of imprisonment, their assets in excess of $1.25 million will be legally confiscated。
This case was first targeted in 2020. At that time, several law enforcement agencies received anonymous reports of alleged prostitution and human trafficking in massage parlours in Ventura County, including Miracle Massage in Ventura City and A+ Massage in Huenimi Port. It was only a survey of a few shops, and it was not surprising that the more people involved, a family-type criminal network that had been in operation for more than a decade, had been detected。
The female boss was in prison for pimping and was behind bars
The prosecution found that the 56-year-old Xiangwei Ma was at the heart of the gang, and that her husband, Mamin, his brother, Ma and sister Mary were involved in the operation. According to the investigators, the family apparently operated a massage service and actually recruited and exploited women from China for commercial purposes and then managed to transfer the proceeds。
It is worth noting that Mahavi had similar criminal records before. She had been sentenced to 18 months ' imprisonment in Los Angeles County for attempting to confess guilt. After her imprisonment, however, the business did not stop and other family members continued to operate. By the time Ma Dyvi was released, she was re-involved, but this time more attention was paid to hiding her identity。
According to the prosecution, she did not register her name directly as shopkeeper or manager, but instead sought to identify others as a way of concealing her actual control over business and property. One of the transactions concerned a property in the Crown Crown Oak Lane in Simi Valley, where the prosecution stated that Ma had made contradictory statements about her work and earnings prior to applying for a short sale. In the opinion of the investigators, these financial operations are linked to the concealment of the source of the illicit proceeds and the attribution of the actual assets。
Four were found guilty of up to 17 years imprisonment
Following the trial, all four defendants were convicted by a jury of multiple felonies with varying sentences:
Ma v. Pandering, Mortgage Fraud and 9 Money Laundering Offences are scheduled for 23 October, with a maximum possible imprisonment of 17 years。
Ma to the east (brother): Pandering and five money-laundering offences, also punishable by up to 13 years on 23 October。
Mary (sister): Pandering and one money-laundering offence, expected to be handed down on 2 November, up to 8 years and 8 months。
Mamin (husband): Pandering and two counts of money-laundering are scheduled for 4 November, with a maximum sentence of 11 years and 4 months。
Currently, all four have been taken into custody。
In addition, there is a fifth accused in the case, Jaime Calderon, the husband of Mary. He had admitted to the crime of money-laundering as early as August 2023 and had been sentenced to imprisonment in Ventura County Prison。
In addition to prison sentences, the prosecution will confiscate assets of more than $1.25 million of the persons involved, involving cash, bank funds and the cash value of life insurance。
According to Eric Nazarenko, District Prosecutor of Ventura, illegal massage parlours are in fact a cover for human trafficking and pimping, and victims may be forced into commercial trading. He stressed that the prosecution would continue to hold the persons concerned legally accountable。
Since 2020, when four family members have now been convicted, the case has been investigated for many years and the financial flows and division of labour have gradually surfaced. For the persons involved, the jury has issued a verdict, followed by an official pronouncement of the sentence by the court。