You Zhi Li, 38, Yang Shen, 21, and Jun Hu, 43, were arrested this week for enslaving more than
20 members of a Chinese acrobatic team. They were held in custody, and a preliminary hearing
was scheduled for July 13.
A woman who worked as an interpreter for China Star Acrobats escaped late last month and
contacted authorities. She told police she and 20 other teammates were being held against their
will in a southwest Las Vegas home.
Prosecutors said the acrobats were forced to stay in Li's home, where up to six lived in each
bedroom. Most had been brought to Las Vegas months ago.
According to the complaint, Li confiscated visas and passports and told them their phone calls
home would be monitored.
When the acrobats were not performing, they were forced to do chores for another Chinese man, according to the complaint, in which they cleaned or renovated homes and did lawn work. (Source: AP, Jul 5, 2007).