More members of sextrafficking ring charged

Hundreds of women were brought from Thailand to the U.S. and forced to be “modern day sex slaves,” according to an indictment unsealed Thursday that charges high-level members of what authorities called a sophisticated sex-trafficking ring that concealed millions of dollars in earnings.

The indictment brings the total number of people charged to 38, making it one of the largest sex-trafficking prosecutions in the U.S., said Acting U.S. Attorney Gregory Brooker.

The latest indictment goes after the money as well as high-level members of the organization, such as “house bosses.”

It charges 21 people with various counts, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking by use of force or threats, conspiracy to engage in money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

It builds upon an indictment unsealed in October that charged 17 people.

Alex Khu, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Minneapolis, said going after the enterprise’s finances was important. Khu’s agency discovered the international ring.

The conspiracy began in 2009, according to the indictment, with organizers bringing poor women who spoke little English from Bangkok to several U.S. cities. The organization threatened to harm the women’s families in Thailand if they escaped.