Couple slapped with 18 charges for alleged prostitution, fraud

The Attorney General’s Office filed with the Superior Court yesterday 18 criminal charges against a business couple who recruited two women who claim that they were forced to work as prostitutes.

Fifty-year-old Edward Frank Cabrera, also known as Edward C. Cabrera, and 37-year-old Xiuhong Luo, also known as Jenny, reportedly operate the Red Heart Massage and the Mayi Club on Saipan.

The business couple allegedly recruited two women from the Philippines without proper documentation to hire them as employees of their business establishments.

In a criminal information, assistant attorney general Ian Catlett alleged the couple used tampered CNMI immigration and labor document to facilitate the illegal entry of the two women.

Catlett charged Cabrera and Jenny with two counts each of immigration fraud; assisting illegal entry; conspiracy to commit illegal entry; aiding, abetting, and encouraging illegal entry; harboring illegal aliens; promoting prostitution in the second degree; conspiracy to commit prostitution; permitting prostitution; and employment of illegal aliens.

The two women reportedly entered the CNMI last Sept. 9. Investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Investigative Unit showed that, while the two women had agreed to work for the defendants’ businesses, they were forced into prostitution by the business couple.

According to the AGIU, Jenny brought the women to their rooms upon their arrival on Saipan. Jenny then allegedly gave them a box of condoms and pills. Three hours later, Jenny allegedly made one of the women take the pill, making that victim dizzy. Jenny then instructed the victim to massage a customer, and later to have sex with the man.

That victim told investigators that she could not refuse Jenny’s instruction because she was scared. Jenny allegedly threatened not to pay her salary if she refuses to have sex with the customer. The AGIU said the victim began to cry while having sex with the man.

Jenny allegedly told the victim that she would get $15 from the $100 paid by the customer. Another customer, arrived about an hour later, the AGIU said. That victim claimed that she had sex with some 15 male customers since she arrived on Saipan.

The other victim had initially resisted customers’ sexual advances, but she was forced by a Bangladeshi male to have sex on one occasion.

The victims told investigators Jenny only wanted them to have sex with Bangladeshi and Chinese customers—not Filipinos or Chamorros. The victims managed to ran away from the defendants on Sept. 18, after which they reported the incident to authorities. (John Ravelo)