01-05-2025
8 charged in Trumbull County human trafficking case
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – An 83-count indictment filed in Trumbull County accuses eight people of running a human trafficking ring that forced women into prostitution at local massage parlors, Attorney General Dave Yost and Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene announced Thursday.
The indictment maintains that the defendants operated the Tiger Spa and Sunny Spa, both on West Market Street in Warren, as illegal fronts for sex trafficking and money laundering. The crime ring allegedly trapped Korean women at the establishments for three months at a time, forcing them to live on the premises and perform sex acts for money, according to a news release from Yost's office.
The Tiger Spa is no longer in business.
The charges – all felonies – stem from an ongoing investigation by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force. In March 2023, the task force and partnering agencies executed search warrants at the businesses as part of 'Operation Saving Daylight.'
The eight people facing charges, according to Yost, are:
Tae Suk Hwang, aka 'Jeannie,' 62, of Saginaw, Michigan: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1), one count of trafficking in persons – commercial sex acts (F1), 58 counts of money laundering (F3) and 14 counts of promoting prostitution (F4)
Dong Meliodon, aka 'Sara,' 62, of Duluth, Georgia: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1), 34 counts of money laundering (F3) and six counts of promoting prostitution (F4)
Suk Hui Starr, 64, of Fort Worth, Texas: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1), 12 counts of money laundering (F3) and two counts of promoting prostitution (F4)
Miock Dong Schaffer, aka 'Cookie,' 56, of Norwalk, Ohio: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1), nine counts of money laundering (F3) and one count of promoting prostitution (F4)
Chang Mi Hwang, aka 'Cherry,' 59, of Duluth, Georgia: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1) and three counts of promoting prostitution (F4)
Young Hee Yoon, 56, of Warren, Ohio: Two counts of promoting prostitution (F4)
Kum Cha Shugars, 75, of Dallas:
One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1) One count of promoting prostitution (F4)
Young Sug Kim, aka 'Young Crazy,' 61, of New Waterford, Ohio: One count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity (F1)
More than two dozen of the charges include additional specifications for the forfeiture of assets.
A copy of the indictment was not available yet Thursday morning, but a spokesperson for Yost's office said those charged had forced others into prostitution
Also on Thursday, investigators executed another search warrant at the Sunny Spa. The investigation is ongoing, so no additional information on the search is available.
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