8 charged in trafficking ring at Ohio massage parlors that allegedly confined Korean women - WKEF

[WKRC]

WARREN, Ohio (WKRC) — Eight women were charged in an alleged human trafficking ring at Ohio massage parlors.

An 83-count indictment in Trumbull County has charged eight individuals with operating a human trafficking ring that allegedly forced women into prostitution at illicit massage parlors in the Mahoning Valley. The charges were announced by Attorney General Dave Yost and Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene.

"There is no humanity – only depravity – in holding a person against their will to profit from their suffering," Yost said. "Let these indictments be a warning to criminals – our task forces are relentless in pursuing prosecution of traffickers and freedom for survivors."

The indictment accuses the defendants of using the Tiger Spa and Sunny Spa, both located on West Market Street in Warren, as fronts for sex trafficking and money laundering. The crime ring allegedly confined Korean women at these establishments for three months at a time, forcing them to live on-site and perform sex acts for money. The Tiger Spa has since closed.

The charges, all felonies, are the result of an ongoing investigation by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, which operates under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, part of Yost’s office. In March 2023, the task force executed search warrants at the businesses during "Operation Saving Daylight," seizing large amounts of cash, financial assets, and business records.

The investigation led to this week's indictment, covering crimes over more than five years. Many of the indictment's 83 counts involve multiple defendants. The individuals facing charges include:

• - Tae Suk Hwang, aka "Jeannie," 62, of Saginaw, Michigan

• - Dong Meliodon, aka "Sara," 62, of Duluth, Georgia

• - Suk Hui Starr, 64, of Fort Worth, Texas

• - Miock Dong Schaffer, aka "Cookie," 56, of Norwalk, Ohio

• - Chang Mi Hwang, aka "Cherry," 59, of Duluth, Georgia

• - Young Hee Yoon, 56, of Warren, Ohio

• - Kum Cha Shugars, 75, of Dallas

• - Young Sug Kim, aka "Young Crazy," 61, of New Waterford, Ohio

More than two dozen charges include specifications for asset forfeiture. Yost’s Special Prosecutions Section is handling the case in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Additionally, investigators executed another search warrant at the Sunny Spa today. The investigation is ongoing, and no further details on the search have been released.

The Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office, includes representatives from various law enforcement agencies, including the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations.

Indictments are criminal allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

To report suspected human trafficking in Ohio, call (844) END-OHHT, text "ENDOHHT" to 847411, download the END OHHT app, or submit information online at ohioattorneygeneral.gov/ENDOHHT.