Washington, July 3 : A Chinese national and lawful permanent resident of the United States has been indicted on federal charges of allegedly operating an international sex trafficking network that recruited women from several Asian countries to work in residential brothels in the Boston area, US prosecutors announced.

Federal prosecutors said Zengzeng Liu, also known as "Bella," 40, of Flushing, New York, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on one count of knowingly persuading an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and three counts of using facilities of interstate or foreign commerce in aid of racketeering enterprises.

Liu was arrested in the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on July 8.

According to the indictment and court documents, Liu allegedly managed an international sex trafficking operation beginning no later than August 2025. Investigators alleged that she recruited women, primarily foreign nationals from Japan, Vietnam, China and the Philippines, to travel to the Greater Boston area to engage in commercial sex acts at residential brothels in the Allston and Brighton neighbourhoods.

Prosecutors alleged that Liu determined where and when the women would perform commercial sex acts, coordinated appointments with buyers, collected commissions and used foreign national middlemen to recruit women. Authorities further alleged that she used fraud, deceit and altered or forged documents to obtain and maintain apartments used as brothels.

According to the charging documents, women involved in the operation told investigators they received instructions through the WeChat messaging application from a "female boss" known as "Bella", whom they identified as the organiser of appointments but had never met in person.

Victims allegedly travelled through locations including China, Canada, the Philippines and New York before arriving in Boston. They told investigators they collected payments from buyers but expected to receive only part of the proceeds, with the remaining money allegedly collected by couriers and ultimately forwarded to Liu.

During searches of brothel locations, authorities encountered women from Japan and Vietnam who reported engaging in commercial sex acts after arriving in Boston. According to court documents, one victim reported she was not permitted to leave the apartment. Another displayed bruising on her knees, legs and feet and allegedly told investigators she sustained the injuries while performing commercial sex acts for buyers.

Law enforcement officers recovered nearly $35,000 from one Allston location and nearly $70,000 from a Brighton apartment. They also seized condoms, lubricants, surveillance cameras and mobile phones. In total, investigators seized about $105,000 in cash and alleged that the operation generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds over the previous 11 months.

The charging documents also allege that financial records showed Liu used a Women, Infants, and Children nutrition benefits card to purchase groceries while operating the commercial sex business. Authorities later identified her through surveillance and financial records before arresting her in New York.

If convicted, Liu faces up to 20 years in prison on the charge of persuading an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution. Each racketeering-related charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

/IANS