As part of a months-long investigation into human trafficking, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin revealed Thursday that a man who was suspected of operating many illegal massage companies in Hot Springs had been apprehended in Oklahoma.
The U.S. Marshals Service and Oklahoma City police arrested Zengguang Gary Liu, a Chinese naturalized citizen, earlier this week. Agents from Griffin’s office served Liu with warrants in Oklahoma City, connecting him to three Hot Springs massage parlors that were raided last month, Griffin said.
Operation Obscured Vision, a statewide initiative started in January to investigate illegal massage enterprises and human trafficking, including the raids on AI Massage, Magic Massage, and Diamond Massage on July 28. Three Chinese women were identified as victims during the operation and provided with services, according to Griffin.
According to investigators, Liu is the owner of all three companies and might be in charge of other ventures in other states. He is charged in Garland County with both illegal use of another person’s property to facilitate certain offenses (a B felony) and trafficking of humans (an A felony).
During the raids on July 28, authorities confiscated around $16,000 in cash, including foreign currency from China and four other nations. According to Griffin, victim testimonies showed a pattern of recruiting where women were forced into sex labor after being enticed from China with promises of higher-paying jobs in the United States.
According to one victim, she traveled from China to Turkey with her life savings, received a visa there, and then boarded a cruise ship bound for Mexico. Before being transported to Hot Springs, she claimed to have been lured into illegal massage labor in California after crossing the U.S. border as part of a migrant caravan and claiming asylum.
A third victim described how she answered an online ad in China, was sent to Los Angeles, worked in Seattle, and finally ended up in Arkansas. Another victim provided an almost identical tale.
Authorities also arrested and interrogated two clients at different massage parlors before releasing them as part of the July 28 operation.
Griffin claimed that the victims’ accounts aligned with information gathered by law enforcement organizations across the country, indicating a network of criminals operating out of China taking advantage of weaker women.
Agents have carried out coordinated operations in Harrison, Hot Springs, Jonesboro, Little Rock, Rogers, and Russellville since Operation Obscured Vision started on January 23. Seven people have been arrested during searches of thirteen illegal massage parlors, and two warrants are still pending.
Three naturalized U.S. citizens are among the six Chinese nationals that were detained. Chinese nationals Yuanbo Xi, 53, and Junfang Li, 53, who are thought to have left the country, nonetheless have valid arrest warrants.
Investigators have so far identified 23 victims, all of whom are Chinese nationals, and 22 of them have accepted treatment. In addition to U.S. currency, more than $107,000 in cash has been recovered from China, Turkey, Thailand, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, and Serbia.
The Hot Springs Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, Little Rock Police Department, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office, and the charitable organization Into the Light were among the agencies that Griffin acknowledged for their support.
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