Posted on 04/12/2006 9:06:46 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Santa Ana - A Southern California woman was in custody in Texas Wednesday on charges of operating brothels in Dallas and the Los Angeles area using women smuggled into the country from South Korea and Mexico.
Jong Ock Mao, 47, of West Covina was arrested Tuesday in Madisonville, Texas after a 40-count indictment was unsealed in Santa Ana federal court accusing her and three others of conspiracy, money laundering and violating the Travel Act, a federal law that prohibits the use of interstate facilities to conduct illegal business.
Federal agents raided six businesses, including tanning salons, chiropractic offices and spas, that authorities said were fronts for brothels. There were between three and 18 women working in each of brothels, and many were prostituting to pay off smuggling fees, said Buckley Thomas, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigator.
Mao, the alleged leader of the brothel operation, was ordered held in Houston on $150,000 bond and authorities were working to extradite her to California, said customs spokeswoman Virginia Kice. Authorities were also looking into possible immigration violations because Mao is a Korean national living in the United States without a green card, Kice said.
Federal agents also arrested Edward Lutt, 43, of Paramount and Randall Johnson, 51, of Los Angeles. A fourth defendant, 49-year-old Charles Fields of Long Beach, was being sought. Lutt was suspected of managing the day-to-day operation of the brothels, while Johnson and Fields allegedly appeared as owners of the businesses even though Mao was "the de facto owner" of the brothels, the indictment said.
Authorities were working to seize more than $4 million in assets, including bank accounts, homes and four private motocross tracks in California, Texas and Florida owned by Mao.
"This is an extremely lucrative business, it generates millions of dollars that are funneled into other businesses," Thomas said. "It's a whole underground economy and it's all tax-free."
The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation that resulted last July's indictment of 24 people accused of smuggling South Korean women into the country and providing them to brothel operators. The women worked off smuggling fees as high as $15,000, authorities said. Fifteen of the defendants have pleaded guilty, five were awaiting trial and four were being sought.
here in bay area, there are thousands of asian illegals working as prostitutes out of apartments, storefronts, etc...
I don't wish to appear a smart ass, but isn't that kind of dangerous?
Wouldn't it be easier for all concerned to regulate it?
UNITED STATES
CITIZENSHIP: Citizenship is based upon Title 8 of U.S. Code 1401 - 1409, dated 1986.
BY BIRTH: Child born within the territory of the United States, regardless of the citizenship of
the parents.
BY DESCENT:
Child born abroad, both of whose parents are citizens of the United States, and one of
whom resided in the United States before the birth of the child.
Child born abroad, one of whose parents is a citizen of the United States who resided in
the United States for at least five years before the birth of the child.
BY NATURALIZATION: United States citizenship may be acquired upon fulfillment of the
following conditions:
Person must be 18 years old, have resided in the United States for at least five years as a
lawful permanent resident, be able to speak, read, and write English, be of good moral
character, be familiar with the history and culture of the country, be attached to the
principles of the United States Constitution, and have renounced former citizenship.
Foreign citizens who marry citizens of the United States need only reside in the United
States for three years, but must still fulfill the other conditions.
OTHER: Certain provisions for granting citizenship have been extended to persons who have
performed specific military service to this country. For more information, contact the U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization Service.
DUAL CITIZENSHIP: RECOGNIZED
Based on the U.S. Department of State regulation on dual citizenship (7 FM 1162), the Supreme
Court of the United States has stated that dual citizenship is a “status long recognized in the law”
and that “a person may have and exercise rights of nationality in two countries and be subject to
the responsibilities of both. The mere fact he asserts the rights of one citizenship does not without
more mean that he renounces the other,” (Kawakita v. U.S., 343 U.S. 717) (1952).
The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) does not define dual citizenship or take a position for it
or against it. There has been no prohibition against dual citizenship, but some provisions of the
INA and earlier U.S. nationality laws were designed to reduce situations in which dual citizenship
exists.
United States law does not contain any provisions requiring U.S. citizens who are born with dual
citizenship or who acquire a second citizenship at an early age to choose one or the other when
they become adults (Mandeli v. Acheson, 344 U.S. 133) (1952). The current citizenship laws of the
United States do not specifically refer to dual citizenship.
While recognizing the existence of dual citizenship and permitting Americans to have other
citizenships, the U.S. Government does not endorse dual citizenship as a matter of policy because
of the problems that it may cause. Claims of other countries on dual-national U.S. citizens often
place them in situations where their obligations to one country are in conflict with the laws of the
other. LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP:
VOLUNTARY: Voluntary renunciation of United States citizenship is permitted by law.
However, renunciation can only be made at a U.S. Consulate outside the United States.
INVOLUNTARY: The following are grounds for involuntary loss of United States citizenship:
Person commits treason against the United States.
Person takes an oath of allegiance to a foreign state.
Person joins the armed forces of a country at war with the U.S.
ANY QUESTIONS concerning citizenship policy of the U.S. or its territories should be sent to the
address below:
U.S. Department of State
Office of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
Telephone: 202-647-4000
http://www.opm.gov/extra/investigate/IS-01.pdf#search='citizenship%20requirements%20to%20serve%20in%20the%20US%20military'
Thats the number that was thrown out on Fox News last week; you're probably right.
Is Nevada the only place it's legal?
Since our country is now wide open to massive third world illegal invasion, we can expect to have massive third world crime.
Correct, even then it's a county option.
The Largest counties don't allow it, but Clark Co. (Las Vegas) has more hookers per square mile than any place in the USA.
Amazing. Many thanks for the information.
;^)
(And 99% of the cops I worked with think the Nevada Model is the way to go. Even the female sworn officers too)
I must say I'm surprised there isn't more regulation and legality. It's grubby at best. At worst, it's inhuman.
I'd probably call BS on this one. There are crooked recuiters, but you need some fairly substantial documentation to sign up.
Thanks!
not the ones working vice...
"I remember stories of illegal aliens being found in the military and allowed to become citizens once they finished out their tour of duty"
The military allows foreign nationals to serve, but not illegals. Military service looks good on the citizenship application, but doesn't necessarily speed up the process. That's a shame
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.