A Filipino nanny is at the centre of a human trafficking investigation unveiled by a bust on a popular Richmond Hill massage parlour over the weekend.
Eleven women were found inside Club De Lotto on East Wilmot St., near Leslie St. and Hwy. 7, after police busted through the doors Friday night, but only one of them gave a statement against the so-called pimps who police allege were running the show, York Regional Police vice Det. Thai Truong said Monday.
Autumn in Richvale Greenway, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/etherflyer/
The woman arrived in Canada last year to work as a nanny, but soon realized she wasn’t making enough to support her family and child in The Philippines, so she posted an ad on Kijiji offering to clean houses on the weekends, Truong said.
“She gets called by a guy who says basically, ‘Hey, you wanna make money? There’s more money in massage, come meet me,’” Truong said.
The woman, in her 20s, didn’t realize sex acts would be involved, Truong said.
After working at that spa, which is still under investigation, she moved on to Club De Lotto “because another girl said that it’s better over there,” Truong said.
Instead, investigators allege she was forced to have sex with clients who she didn’t want to service. On one occasion, when she refused to meet with a man known to be particularly “aggressive,” she was grabbed by the throat and forced into the room, Truong alleged.
A similar assault story was told by a young Canadian woman who went to police Sunday night after hearing they had busted the place where she worked between December until April.
Truong described a “fine system” in which the women were allegedly forced to fork over extra money to “the house” if they were late for work or missed a day of work.
“They were feeding the girls a slice of bread and a can of pop (per day),” Truong said. “One of the girls said if you have a headache, you feel sick, you’re on your period, they give you a Tylenol and tell you to keep working.”
Apparent “living quarters” found inside the spa consisted of a “crammed” room with a mattress and blankets on the floor, Truong said. While none of the women said they lived at the spa, investigators believe they may have rested there between clients during 18-hour shifts.
The pair who gave statements to police described the man behind the alleged assaults as “just heartless,” Truong said. The man, known by the women as Frank, also allegedly threatened to call the women’s families with details of what they were doing if they didn’t follow the “rules,” Truong said.
During search warrants at the massage parlour and two Markham homes, police allegedly seized $30,000 in cash connected to the business.
Truong said the spa catered to mostly Asian men from across the Greater Toronto Area, many of whom paid membership fees.
Alleged sex acts weren’t the only items on the menu — clients also enjoyed a sauna, whirlpool, television, food and legitimate massages, Truong said.
Given the spa has been in business for “at least 10 years,” Truong said he fears there are countless women who were potentially victimized. He appealed to them to come forward.
“We have girls that have been courageous enough to do the right thing,” he said. “We need those other girls to do the same thing.”
Among the 25 people arrested when police busted through the spa’s doors were three alleged pimps: Zhi Min “Frank” Xin, 46, the only person to be charged with human trafficking; Zi Gang “Gordon” Xin, 54, the alleged manager; and Jihon Siu, 51.
Ten clients were also found inside — one of whom was allegedly caught having sex with one of the women, Truong said.
Anyone with information about the case was asked to contact police at 1-866-876-5423 ext. 7640 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477, 1800222tips.com, or by texting TIPYORK and your message to CRIMES.
This is the fourth human trafficking case for York Regional Police since the charge came into the Criminal Code in 2005.
The first case involved a 19-year-old Alberta woman who was forced to strip at a Mississauga hotel. Though the human trafficking charge disappeared with guilty pleas to other charges, the human trafficking was treated as an aggravating factor that led to a stiffer sentence.
The second case, involving the same victim from the first case, is still before the courts. Investigators allege the accused picked up the victim from a youth shelter the day after she escaped her first pimp before forcing her to prostitute.
In the third case, investigators alleged a man forced a woman to prostitute and help him commit crimes.
Source: Toronto Sun
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