Two Chinese Nationals Sentenced for Sex Trafficking Charges in American Samoa

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Shengji Wang and Fu Sheng Kuo,
both Chinese nationals, were sentenced today in federal court in Hawaii for
their roles in conspiring to force women into prostitution in American Samoa,
announced Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the
Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Wang was sentenced to 62 months
imprisonment. Kuo was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment. Wang and Kuo will
be deported after serving their sentences. Both defendants previously pleaded
guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the civil rights of their
victims.

Wang and Kuo, along with several co-defendants, operated a scheme to recruit
and import Chinese women and hold them in prostitution in nightclubs and
brothels in American Samoa. Upon arrival, the victims, who were unpaid, were
denied access to their passports and return airline tickets, and were denied
the opportunity to leave until they had paid off increasing debts.

"Sex trafficking is a heinous crime that ruins lives and robs victims of their
dignity," said Grace Chung Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the
Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The Department of Justice will
work tirelessly to rescue victims of human trafficking and ensure that those
who engage in this deplorable conduct are brought to justice."

Five defendants have pleaded guilty in this case. In April 2007, two
co-defendants, Kueiling Chen and Lili Zhang, both Chinese nationals, pleaded
guilty to conspiracy to transport women in foreign commerce for purposes of
prostitution, based on their roles in the same scheme. In August 2007,
defendant Iona Uiagalelei, of American Samoa, pled guilty to using
intimidation and threats to persuade witnesses to provide false testimony
during the human trafficking investigation. In September 2007, Zhang was
sentenced to 11 months imprisonment and three years of supervised release, and
Chen to six months imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
Uiagalelei is scheduled to be sentenced in Hawaii on Jan. 7, 2008.

Human trafficking prosecutions such as this one are a top priority of the
Department of Justice. In the last seven fiscal years, the Civil Rights
Division, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorneys' Offices, has increased by
nearly seven-fold the number of human trafficking cases filed in court as
compared to the previous seven fiscal years. In FY 2007, the Department
obtained a record number of convictions in human trafficking prosecutions.

The case is being investigated by FBI Special Agent Mark Granger of the
American Samoa office of the Honolulu Division of the FBI, and is being
prosecuted by Susan French of the Civil Rights Division's Human Trafficking
Prosecution Unit.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, +1-202-514-2008,
+1-202-514-1888 (TDD)