The federal government dismissed August 16 slavery charges against three men (You Zhi Li, 38; Yang Shen, 21; and Jun Hu, 43) accused of detaining a troupe of Chinese acrobats and forcing it to perform.
Daniel Chau, who identified himself as a partner in China Star Acrobats, said claims of troupe members being held against their will were a ploy by some acrobats seeking to stay in the United States.
The interpreter for the group had told the police that she and 20 teammates were crammed into a house in the Las Vegas area that was guarded by the three Chinese men. The complaint accused Mr. Li of confiscating members' passports and visas and monitoring their phone calls. (Source: AP, Aug. 17, 2007).