Thai Woman Extradited To U.S., Indicted For Role In International Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

[webfact]

 

Thai Woman Extradited To U.S., Indicted For Role In International Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

 

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the extradition and indictment of SUMALEE INTARATHONG, 59, for her role in an international Thai sex trafficking organization.

 

The 10-count superseding indictment charges INTARATHONG with conspiracy, human trafficking violations, and visa fraud. Thirty-six co-defendants have been charged and convicted for their roles in the conspiracy. On February 16, 2021, INTARATHONG made her initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Cowan Wright and was ordered to remain in detention pending further proceedings.

 

According to allegations in the superseding indictment and documents filed in court, the criminal organization compelled hundreds of women from Bangkok, Thailand, to engage in commercial sex acts in various cities across the United States.  Before her arrest in Belgium on August 5, 2016, INTARATHONG served as a boss/trafficker for the organization.

 

Each trafficked victim was “owned” by INTARATHONG or another boss/trafficker, until the victim could repay an exorbitant “bondage debt” of between $40,000 and $60,000. INTARATHONG and other co-conspirators arranged for victims to travel from Thailand to the United States and placed the victims in a house of prostitution somewhere in the United States.

 

According to allegations in the superseding indictment and documents filed in court, INTARATHONG and other co-conspirators in the organization engaged in widespread visa fraud to facilitate the international transportation of the victims. Members of the criminal organization assisted the victims in obtaining fraudulent visas and travel documents. As a part of obtaining visa documents, members of the criminal conspiracy gathered personal information from the victims, including the location of the victims’ families in Thailand. This information was later used to threaten victims who became non-compliant or tried to flee the organization in the United States.

 

According to allegations in the superseding indictment and documents filed in court, the organization dealt primarily in cash and engaged in rampant and sophisticated money laundering in order to promote and conceal illegal profits. Throughout the course of the conspiracy the criminal organization has moved tens of millions of dollars in illegal proceeds from the United States to Thailand and elsewhere.

 

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, Criminal Investigation Division of the IRS, Diplomatic Security Service, St. Paul Police Department, Anoka County Sheriff’s Office and Cook County (Illinois) Sheriff’s Office, with the support of the International Organized Crime Intelligence and Operations Center (IOC-2). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided critical assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition from Belgium.

 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melinda Williams and Laura Provinzino are prosecuting the case with the assistance of the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit and the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

The charges contained in the superseding indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

Defendant Information:

SUMALEE INTARATHONG, 59

Citizen of Thailand

 

Charges:

• Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, 1 count
• Sex trafficking by use of force, fraud, and coercion, 1 count
• Conspiracy to commit forced labor, 1 count
• Conspiracy to commit transportation to engage in prostitution, 1 count
• Transportation to engage in prostitution, 1 count
• Conspiracy to engage in money laundering, 1 count
• Conspiracy to use a communication facility to promote prostitution, 1 count
• Conspiracy to commit visa fraud, 1 count

 

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/thai-woman-extradited-us-indicted-role-international-sex-trafficking-conspiracy

 

[smedly]

one of many unfortunately

[GinBoy2]

Interesting, if somewhat depressing story.

 

So it says she was arrested in Belgium (and what was she doing in Belgium, if the source of the women was BKK?) in 2016, so it's taken over 4 years to obtain her extradition to the US.

 

Now I'm no expert on these things, but I would suspect that in those four years her position has long since been replaced with a new 'mama-san', and the human trafficking and the money flows continue apace. 

 

Rather sick world sometimes when you think about it

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed as well as the replies. 

[SomchaiCNX]

16 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

Interesting, if somewhat depressing story.

 

So it says she was arrested in Belgium (and what was she doing in Belgium, if the source of the women was BKK?) in 2016, so it's taken over 4 years to obtain her extradition to the US.

 

Now I'm no expert on these things, but I would suspect that in those four years her position has long since been replaced with a new 'mama-san', and the human trafficking and the money flows continue apace. 

 

Rather sick world sometimes when you think about it

If she stayed in Belgium she was lucky. Criminals over there have far more rights than victims, especially if you are colored and not Belgian. They will have a regiment of lawyers available to choose from, free of charge .

[mtls2005]

17 hours ago, GinBoy2 said:

So it says she was arrested in Belgium (and what was she doing in Belgium

 

She was arrested in 2016. Assume the U.S. knew where she was when they got their informant to flip, and then had Belgian authorities arrest here. Took years to get her extradited.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/national/30297086

 

https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2016/10/feds-bust-global-sex-ring-with-indictments-in-minnesota

 

https://www.dw.com/en/elaborate-thai-us-sex-trafficking-ring-dismantled/a-35968541

 

 

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by mtls2005

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, smedly said:

one of many unfortunately

But one less fortunately.

[ChakaKhan]

12 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

But one less fortunately.

She should be able to hustle well in Prison...

[realfunster]

Unless she can plea bargain, which seems unlikely at this late stage, looks like she will be spending her golden years within the US penal system. Good.

[Rimmer]

A very stupid off topic meme and text trying to drag Trump in the topic has been removed.

[Peterphuket]

2 hours ago, SomchaiCNX said:

If she stayed in Belgium she was lucky. Criminals over there have far more rights than victims, especially if you are colored and not Belgian. They will have a regiment of lawyers available to choose from, free of charge .

That's in many countries of the EU the same, they hate their own people.

Colored people are in this days.

[Peterphuket]

And I am convinced that most of the Thai woman there are voluntary, and working for the big money to bring at home.

[Smithson]

1 hour ago, Peterphuket said:

And I am convinced that most of the Thai woman there are voluntary, and working for the big money to bring at home.

So am I, however not sure if they will be bringing big money home. The reason for the debt bondage is due to costs of getting someone into the US. The more strict the anti-prostitution laws, the higher the costs and associated debt. It means lots of people committing fraud and other criminal acts for which they expect to be paid well.

 

Of all the people who will say she's evil, I wonder how many frequent the bars etc. here?

[welovesundaysatspace]

7 hours ago, SomchaiCNX said:

If she stayed in Belgium she was lucky. Criminals over there have far more rights than victims, especially if you are colored and not Belgian. They will have a regiment of lawyers available to choose from, free of charge .

 

5 hours ago, Peterphuket said:

That's in many countries of the EU the same, they hate their own people.

Colored people are in this days.

Utter nonsense, of course; often touted by poor losers who need a scapegoat for their failed miserable lifes. 

[natway09]

My comment here is that there must be  commercial validity  for this service in the US.

The more the US disallows "prostitution" the more underground organized crime syndicates are going to flourish & less tax payments will result along with arguably more rape victims.

The oldest proffession in the world is not going to go away ever, so why not just legalize it 

& then can be controlled

[unblocktheplanet]

Waddya bet she has a Belgian husband? Wonder if Thailand would have extradited one of their own...

[GeorgeEboy]

It seems to work just fine in the counties that allow it in Nevada. Supervised brothels.

[observer90210]

If her lawyer hints to disclose her extensive US client list, it could be fun to watch some top renowned and distinguished chaps, scramble to hide.

[dcnx]

13 hours ago, Rimmer said:

A very stupid off topic meme and text trying to drag Trump in the topic has been removed.

This is how mods need to remove comments. ???? Thanks for the laugh.

[Smithson]

17 hours ago, natway09 said:

My comment here is that there must be  commercial validity  for this service in the US.

The more the US disallows "prostitution" the more underground organized crime syndicates are going to flourish & less tax payments will result along with arguably more rape victims.

The oldest proffession in the world is not going to go away ever, so why not just legalize it 

& then can be controlled

Worldwide the direction is away from decriminalization, even though this approach is advocated by Amnesty, UNAIDS, HRW and a heap of others. Instead policies are guided by moral or ideological positions, despite harming the people it aims to help.

 

Trafficking is supposed to mean use of deception, coercion or force, but in the US it's used to describe all forms of prostitution. This is because there's billions to be made fund raising for anti trafficking activities, which is often just arresting girls working on the street.

 

In this case they claim a big trafficking network, but the charges don't reflect that.

[Peabody]

On 2/19/2021 at 6:30 AM, natway09 said:

<snip> The oldest proffession in the world is not going to go away ever, so why not just legalize it <snip>

Cuz Bejeezus

[timendres]

On 2/19/2021 at 9:20 PM, observer90210 said:

If her lawyer hints to disclose her extensive US client list, it could be fun to watch some top renowned and distinguished chaps, scramble to hide.

 

Seriously doubt these were Heidi Fleiss girls serving the rich and famous. More likely dropped into the numerous shady massage shops (and other venues) serving the middle class across the country. I doubt any client list was ever accumulated.