Latest news with #AvaYoung
1News
4 days ago
- 1News
Chch employer sentenced after falsely stating worker was visiting relative
A Christchurch employer has been sentenced to four months' home detention after providing false information to Immigration New Zealand stating an employee was their visiting relative. New Zealand Immigration (NZI) said the employer, Ava Young, pleaded guilty to two charges of providing false or misleading information to Immigration New Zealand, and one charge of aiding and abetting the breach of visa conditions. Young had recruited a Thai national from overseas, and facilitated her entry into the country on a visitor visa. For the job and the visa, Young charged the individual NZ$7500 – a debt she owed to Young. Despite this, NZI said the individual never held a visa allowing her to work in New Zealand. After the employee arrived in Auckland in March 2024, she was informed by Young she would be living and working there. Young then took photos of the individual to advertise her services from the premises which Young managed. ADVERTISEMENT NZI said later the same day, the individual then received a message from Young which said a client was coming to see her. "The message was an appointment for the individual to have sex with a client and included the time, cost and duration of the service," NZI said. The individual was charged a 35% fee on her earnings, along with rent and expenses. Young also kept a schedule of the debt, which NZI said she would "regularly send" to the individual. At the direction of Young, the individual provided massage and sex services at various Auckland addresses until June 2024, when she stopped working for Young after clearing her debt. An investigation was launched by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) after receiving a complaint which said a female Thai national was breaching her visa conditions and was being "forced to work in a massage parlour and provide sexual services to clients". Six search warrants were carried out across Auckland and Christchurch, resulting in Young's arrest. NZI general manager of immigration investigations and compliance, Steve Watson, said the case "represents a serious breach of trust and responsibility". ADVERTISEMENT 'Their actions compromised the integrity of New Zealand's immigration system. 'The individual arrived in New Zealand expecting legitimate work opportunities, but was instead misled and treated in a manner that was both unlawful and deeply unfair." The court determined the offending was serious, but applied sentencing discounts for an early guilty plea, previous good character, and also took account of the defendant's personal circumstances. It determined a non-custodial sentence with strict conditions would still hold Young accountable. Young was then sentenced to four months' home detention. 'The individual arrived in New Zealand expecting legitimate work opportunities, but was instead misled and treated in a manner that was both unlawful and deeply unfair," Watson said. 'Immigration New Zealand remains committed to identifying, investigating, and holding to account those who take advantage of others for personal gain."
NZ Herald
4 days ago
- NZ Herald
Ava Young gets home detention for exploiting Thai worker in sex industry
By RNZ A Christchurch employer who falsely claimed a Thai worker was a relative to get her into New Zealand has been sentenced to four months' home detention. Immigration NZ (INZ) said Ava Young falsely supported the woman's visitor visa, then charged her about $7500 for
RNZ News
4 days ago
- RNZ News
Employer sentenced over false visa claims, exploiting Thai worker
Photo: RNZ / Yiting Lin A Christchurch employer who falsely claimed a Thai worker was a relative to get her into New Zealand has been sentenced to four months' home detention. Immigration NZ (INZ) said Ava Young falsely supported the woman's visitor visa, then charged her about $7500 for the job and visa, and forced her to work in the sex industry to pay it off. Young took 35 percent of the woman's earnings and kept a schedule of debt which she regularly send to the woman, officials said. According to INZ, the woman provided massage and sex services at Young's direction at various addresses in Auckland until June 2024, when she stopped working for Young after clearing her debt. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment launched an investigation after receiving a complaint that a female Thai national was breaching her visa conditions and being forced to work in a massage parlour and provide sexual services to clients. Six search warrants were carried out at addresses across Auckland and Christchurch, ultimately resulting in Young's arrest. Young pleaded guilty to two charges of providing false or misleading information to Immigration New Zealand and one charge of aiding and abetting the breach of visa conditions. INZ said the woman was misled and exploited, and the case was a serious abuse of the system. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
4 days ago
- Scoop
Christchurch Employer Sentenced For Immigration Offences
Christchurch-based employer, Ava Young has been sentenced to four-months home detention after pleading guilty to two charges of providing false or misleading information to Immigration New Zealand and one charge of aiding and abetting the breach of visa conditions. Young recruited a Thai national from overseas and facilitated their entry to New Zealand on visitor visa. False information was provided by Young in support of the individuals visitor visa application, supporting the application by stating they were related. This was untrue. They were not related and the individual did not know Young prior to being offered a job by her and the application being submitted to Immigration New Zealand. Young also charged 150,000THB (approximately NZ$7,500) for the job and applying for the visa, a debt the individual owed to Young. Soon after their arrival in Auckland in March 2024, the individual was informed by Young that she would be living and working there. Young took photos of the individual so that she could advertise her services provided from premises that Young managed. Later that day the individual received a message from Young that a customer was coming to see her. The message was an appointment for the individual to have sex with a client and included the time, cost and duration of the service. Young would charge the individual a 35% fee on her earnings, as well as rent and expenses and kept a schedule of the debt which she would regularly send to the individual. The individual provided massage and sex services at the direction of Young at various addresses in Auckland until June 2024, when she stopped working for Young after clearing her debt. MBIE commenced their investigation after receiving a complaint that a female Thai national was breaching her visa conditions and being forced to work in a massage parlour and provide sexual services to clients. The investigation led to the execution of six search warrants at addresses across Auckland and Christchurch, which ultimately resulted in Young's arrest. 'This case represents a serious breach of trust and responsibility,' said Steve Watson, General Manager of Immigration Investigations and Compliance. 'Their actions compromised the integrity of New Zealand's immigration system' 'The individual arrived in New Zealand expecting legitimate work opportunities, but was instead misled and treated in a manner that was both unlawful and deeply unfair' While the offending was serious, the Court applied sentencing discounts for early guilty plea, previous good character and took account of the defendant's personal circumstances and determined that a non-custodial sentence with strict conditions would still hold Young accountable. 'The individual arrived in New Zealand expecting legitimate work opportunities, but was instead misled and treated in a manner that was both unlawful and deeply unfair' 'Immigration New Zealand remains committed to identifying, investigating, and holding to account those who take advantage of others for personal gain' says Mr Watson. We encourage anyone with any knowledge of immigration fraud or exploitation to come forward. To make a report, contact the MBIE reporting line on 0800 200 088. To report an issue anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Note: Ava Alisa Young is a Thai national and the holder of a New Zealand Resident Visa. She is also known as Marissa James Carr and Sasithorn Vas-ngam. During the relevant period, the worker never held a visa allowing her to work in New Zealand.
