(WWJ) A 46-year-old Chinese national has been sentenced to prison for her role as a ringleader in an international human trafficking and commercial sex network operating through illicit massage parlors in Metro Detroit.
Jingyu Jin was sentenced in Macomb County’s 16th Circuit Court Thursday to 40 months to 20 years’ incarceration, according to the Michigan Attorney General's Office.
The sentencing follows Jin’s no-contest plea in June to one count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise.
Jin was charged in December 2024 following an investigation by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Michigan State Police, and the St. Clair Shores Police Department.
Investigators identified Jin as the owner and operator of two illicit massage parlors in Macomb County:
- 111 Healing Studio on Harper in St. Clair Shores
- AM Healing Studio at Metro Parkway and Mound in Sterling Heights
During the operation, authorities freed numerous women of Chinese and Korean origin who were brought from overseas and forced into commercial sex work. Attorney General Dana Nessel noted that investigators tied Jin's local operations to a far broader international enterprise.
"This illicit operation was one of the largest forced commercial sex enterprises ever uncovered in our state, trapping numerous victims who were trafficked across an ocean directly into our communities," AG Nessel said. "This conviction makes clear that Michigan will be no harbor for the heinous trafficking trade, and my office remains committed to working with state, local, and federal law enforcement to dismantle these networks, protect survivors, and hold traffickers accountable."
Jin’s conviction is part of a broader crackdown on the multi-county network:
- Huazi Piao: Jin's co-defendant was sentenced last year on similar charges linked to separate illicit massage parlors in Wayne County.
- Jon Villasurda, Sr.: Pled guilty to one count of Transporting a Person for Prostitution in connection to the ring. He is scheduled to be sentenced before Judge Faunce in Macomb County on September 10.
Crimes linked to massage parlors in St. Clair Shores, Sterling Heights
Crimes linked to massage parlors in St. Clair Shores, Sterling Heights
