March 31, 2017
Case # 14HF2390
WOMAN CONVICTED OF PIMPING FOUR WOMEN OUT OF THREE BROTHELS DISGUISED AS MASSAGE PARLORS
SANTA ANA – A woman was convicted yesterday of pimping four women out of three brothels disguised as massage parlors. Nga Thuy Tran, 47, Lake Forest, was found guilty by a jury on March 30, 2017, of four felony counts of pimping and one felony count of pandering by procuring. Tran faces a maximum sentence of nine years in state prison at her sentencing on May 1, 2017, at 1:30 p.m. in Department C-27, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Circumstances of the Case
Between September 2011 and September 2014, Tran operated three brothels disguised as massage parlors in Irvine, Lake Forest, and Stanton. The defendant operated the three brothels by using a home apartment and renting out two business spaces, and posting advertisements on websites known for prostitution. Tran communicated with sex purchasers via email and text messages in order to arrange dates for the victims.
Tran pandered 19-year-old Jane Doe 4 by illegally hiring and encouraging the victim to perform commercial sex acts. The defendant showed Jane Doe 4 how to avoid detection by law enforcement during the negotiation of commercial sex acts and provided the victim and other workers with condoms. The defendant pimped 42-year-old Jane Doe 1, 24-year-old Jane Doe 2, 20-year-old Jane Doe 3, and Jane Doe 4 by arranging customers for each Jane Doe through online ads and then collecting money from the sex purchasers before each appointment.
On Sept. 2, 2014, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD) arrested the defendant at the Lake Forest location. OCSD and the Irvine Police Department (IPD) investigated this case.
Members of the OCHTTF and the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Office work proactively to protect women and minors from falling victim to commercial sexual exploitation. This case was investigated by OCHTTF, a partnership between Anaheim Police Department, California Highway Patrol, Costa Mesa Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, IPD, Newport Beach Police Department, OCDA, OCSD, Santa Ana Police Department, and community and non-profit partners.
Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver of the HEAT Unit is prosecuting this case.
Proposition 35 and HEAT
To read more about California’s anti-human trafficking Proposition 35 and the OCDA’s Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, please visit www.orangecountyda.org and select Human Trafficking Information from the Media Center drop down menu.