Liu

Background

Zheng is a Chinese citizen who moved to the Common- wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) where she met Liu. Together, Zheng and Liu opened a brothel in Saipan, the capital of the CNMI, called the Tea House. They recruited 1 Violations of 18 U.S.C. §§ 371, 1591, 2421, and 2314 respectively. 10518 UNITED STATES v. LIU employees in Dalian, China by placing advertisements for hotel waitresses, nightclub performers, and service workers with a Chinese recruiting company. The recruitment flyer stated the employees would earn about $3,000-$4,000 per month, and applicants were required to pay $6,000 in “pro- cessing fees” to secure a position.

Chinese women, including Xuimei Chi and Wei Lian, saw these advertisements and signed agreements to become “hotel waitresses.” Chi and Lian each paid part of their $6,000 fee and arrived in Saipan in debt to Zheng. Upon arriving in Sai- pan, Chi, Lian, and four other young women from China were taken to housing barracks and then to the Tea House. At the Tea House, the women testified that they learned they were required to have sex with customers. The women protested but eventually submitted and worked as…