Wichita massage parlor owner charged with sex trafficking - KWCH

[massage]

A Wichita massage parlor owner is charged with Federal sex trafficking charges.

According to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom, Samir F. Elias, 60, owned GiGi's Elite Massage on N. Hillside. Elias is charged with one count of transporting an alien who is in the US unlawfully, one count of harboring an alien who is in the US unlawfully, one count of harboring an alien for the purpose of prostitution and two counts of money laundering.

According to court documents, Elias employed a Chinese woman who used the name Angel. An undercover vice detective with the Wichita Police Department arrested her after she offered to perform sexual services during a massage.

Investigators learned that the woman lived at the massage parlor, or at Elias' home, and usually worked seven days a week. Investigators say she had no formal training in how to give a massage and patrons paid $40 for 30 minutes and $60 an hour for massages, then paid Elias $10 or $20 of those fees.

The woman was convicted in Wichita municipal court of one charge of sale of sexual relations, which she is appealing.

If convicted, Elias faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on counts 1, 2 and 3, and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up $500,000 on counts 4 and 5.

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.