Release Date: 2007-07-09
Original Link: http://presszoom.com/story_135926.html
Source: FBI
Steven M. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of the Las Vegas Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announces the arrest of You Zhi Li, Yang Shen, and Jun Hu, on charges of Involuntary Servitude (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1584.) All three (3) individuals will have their Initial Appearance today, 7/3/2007, at 3:00 p.m., in United States District Court, Las Vegas, Nevada.
(PressZoom.com) - Steven M. Martinez, Special Agent in Charge of the Las Vegas Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announces the arrest of You Zhi Li, Yang Shen, and Jun Hu, on charges of Involuntary Servitude (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1584.) All three (3) individuals will have their Initial Appearance today, 7/3/2007, at 3:00 p.m., in United States District Court, Las Vegas, Nevada.
This investigation was initiated on Wednesday, 6/27/2007, when a Chinese national female escaped from a house where she was being held, and made contact with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). Contact was then made with the Las Vegas Division of the FBI. Further investigation determined that numerous individuals from the China Star Acrobats were at a residence in southwest Las Vegas reportedly being held against their will.
On 6/29/2007, FBI Special Agents, LVMPD Officers, Child Protective Services Specialists with the Clark County Department of Family Services, and Anti-Trafficking League Against Slavery (ATLAS) representatives made contact with approximately fourteen (14) Chinese nationals at this southwest Las Vegas residence. A total of nine (9) of these individuals, including five (5) juveniles, were identified as being victims of human trafficking. These individuals were taken into protective custody at that time.
On 7/2/2007, federal complaints were filed and arrest warrants obtained for You Zhi Li, Yang Shen, and Jun Hu.
Some factors taken into consideration to file criminal charges against these individuals included allegations of victims receiving rationed meals of limited quantity, the acrobat performers not being paid the salary they were promised, their passports and work visas being held from them, enforcers watching and controlling the movements of the performers, and a fear of the performers that their families in China, as well as themselves, would be harmed if they attempted to leave.
It should be mentioned, ATLAS is a task force comprised of local, state, and federal law enforcement, social services, and other non-governmental agencies dedicated to investigating, identifying, and assisting victims of human trafficking, as well as educating the community regarding human trafficking.