Three people have been indicted on human trafficking charges in the Wilmington and Newark areas, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
The trio was charged with racketeering, money laundering, conspiracy and promoting prostitution for their operation of “illicit massage establishments” across northern Delaware.
Court documents show that the group has been operating a “criminal enterprise” in Delaware for about 10 years. The FBI and Delaware State Police began an undercover investigation at three of the group’s massage parlors in late 2022, according to records.
When the agents and officers would go in posing as customers, they were offered sexual stimulation during their massages in exchange for extra money, court documents state.
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The women giving the massages were trafficked by the group, the Department of Justice said, and were forced to work long hours and live in unsanitary conditions.
“Some people assume human trafficking only happens on the other side of the world, but the reality is that it is right in our backyard — and cases like these are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings in an official statement.
The Feb. 27 indictment specifically focuses on the date range of March 2020 to February 2023, as it’s when some members of the group began lying to receive government benefits.
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According to the indictment, one person in the trio claimed a massage parlor had closed because of the pandemic and was given over $25,000 in unemployment benefits from the Department of Labor. She used that same claim to apply for and receive Medicaid, too, according to prosecutors.
In reality, police found about $200,000 in suspected proceeds from her illegal business across multiple bank accounts, according to the Department of Justice. The money has since been frozen.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
