Four Chinese nationals have been arrested on suspicion of recruiting women from China to work in brothels set up in residences in Monterey Park and San Gabriel.
Court papers allege that the defendants engaged in various types of immigration fraud, including using fake documents and false marriages to recruit Chinese women, many with valid student visas, into a life of prostitution in the San Gabriel Valley. These women were willing participants.
The defendants arrested on Saturday August 7 evening were Huagui Lotto, a.k.a. "Candy," 53, of Rowland Heights; her husband, Phillip Tingxiang Fu, 47, of Rowland Heights; Yibin Zhang, 45, of Monterey Park; and Jian Guo, a.k.a. "David," 42, of Arcadia.
The Asian prostitution rings are particularly active in the San Gabriel Valley and are tightly controlled by managers who act as gatekeepers who scrutinize potential customers and shun those they don't trust.
Officials say most of the prostitutes working there are Chinese, speak limited English and appear to be working off debt related to their immigration status.
ents to call his department, which has Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking officers able to help those uncomfortable with English.(Source: Ching-Ching Ni, Los Angeles Times, Aug 12, 2010).