Woman draws 6 years in sex trafficking case

The federal court on Friday imposed a sentence of six years and six months in prison to a businesswoman convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and for operating a prostitution business in western Garapan.

“The prosecution described defendant Ming Yan Zheng’s acts as abominable and despicable. That’s exactly what’s in my mind,” said U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson during the sentencing.

Munson sentenced Zheng to a total of 78 months in jail, with credit for the time she has already served in prison, for five counts of charges.

After serving the jail term, the businesswoman will be placed on five years of supervised probation.

Munson directed the defendant to pay restitution jointly with co-defendant Chang Da Liu in the amount of $22,220 to the victim and $25,220 to the other victim. He also directed Zheng to pay a $55,000 fine, plus $500 in special assessment fee.

After completing the jail sentence, the defendant shall be turned over to an Immigration official for deportation proceedings, the judge said.

At the hearing, assistant U.S. attorney Timothy Moran recommended 78 months of prison term.

Moran said that, in this case, there were actually seven girls and seven families who were victims.

He asserted that the court should send a strong message to the community that the United States will not condone human trafficking and that if someone is caught, he or she must be punished severely.

“The defendant’s acts were an embarrassment to both Saipan and the [United States],” the prosecutor said.

Defense attorney G. Anthony Long recommended 48 months in prison. Long said Zheng has been on Saipan engaging in many legitimate businesses since 1991.

Long said that, as a result of Zheng’s relationship with Liu, she made bad decisions.

The lawyer said Liu was even convicted for beating up Zheng.

But Munson said the acts of Zheng were inhumane and despicable.

The judge said Zheng could be sentenced to life imprisonment but he thinks that 78 months is the most amount of time that should be imposed.

In August 2006, a federal court jury found Liu and his girlfriend Zheng guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, foreign transportation for prostitution and foreign transportation of persons in execution of fraud scheme; two counts of sex trafficking; one count of foreign transportation for prostitution; and one count of foreign transportation of persons in execution of fraud scheme.

Last Tuesday, Munson sentenced Liu to four years and nine months in prison.

The prosecution said when the two girls were recruited in China they were never told to engage in prostitution on Saipan.