Three Coloradans face felony charges for allegedly running a sex trafficking ring through four Denver-area massage parlors and laundering the profits from forcing several women to provide sex services. A statewide grand jury indicted Hye Kyeung Seo and Sang Hyon Shim on 19 felony counts, including human trafficking for sexual servitude. A third defendant, Seon Hee Wolf, faces 15 charges in connection to the operation, including pimping and money laundering.
He thought the spa was a legitimate business and was surprised when a woman asked him if he wanted any sexual services. He told her no and, when he asked what was going on, the woman burst into tears, McCann said.
Over the next year, police in Denver, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood built their case by pulling financial documents on the parlors, conducting surveillance and interviewing people connected to the businesses. Though the indictment references only two women who were victims of sex trafficking, investigators believe there are many more victims connected to the parlors.
Officers contacted at least nine women when they served search warrants on the properties in March, said Denver police Sgt. One of the victims told investigators that she came to Denver in November to work as a manager for A Spa. When she arrived, however, Seo told her she had to provide sex to customers if there were not enough workers, according to the indictment. When she refused, Seo yelled at her and threw things.
The woman was also forced to pay Seo money for living expenses. A second woman came to Denver in January and rotated between all four spas. The woman paid the spa managers a cut of what she was paid, as well as living expenses, according to the indictment.
