A Chinese national and lawful permanent resident of the United States has been indicted on federal charges of allegedly running an international sex trafficking network that recruited women from multiple Asian countries to work in residential brothels across the Greater Boston area, federal prosecutors announced on 3 July.

Who Was Charged and What She Is Accused Of

Zengzeng Liu, also known as 'Bella', 40, of Flushing, New York, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on one count of knowingly persuading an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and three counts of using facilities of interstate or foreign commerce in aid of racketeering enterprises. Liu was arrested in the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on 8 July.

How the Alleged Operation Worked

According to the indictment and court documents, Liu allegedly managed the international trafficking operation beginning no later than August 2025. Investigators allege she recruited women — primarily foreign nationals from Japan, Vietnam, China, and the Philippines — to travel to the Greater Boston area to engage in commercial sex acts at residential brothels in the Allston and Brighton neighbourhoods.

Prosecutors allege Liu determined where and when the women would perform commercial sex acts, coordinated appointments with buyers, collected commissions, and used foreign national middlemen to recruit women. She allegedly used fraud, deceit, and altered or forged documents to obtain and maintain apartments used as brothels. Women involved reportedly received instructions through the WeChat messaging application from a 'female boss' known as 'Bella', whom they identified as the organiser of appointments but had never met in person.

Victim Accounts and Evidence Recovered

Victims allegedly travelled through locations including China, Canada, the Philippines, and New York before arriving in Boston. They told investigators they collected payments from buyers but expected to receive only a portion of the proceeds, with the remaining money allegedly collected by couriers and forwarded to Liu.

During searches of the brothel locations, authorities encountered women from Japan and Vietnam. According to court documents, one victim reported she was not permitted to leave the apartment. Another displayed bruising on her knees, legs, and feet and allegedly told investigators she sustained the injuries while performing commercial sex acts for buyers.

Law enforcement officers recovered nearly $35,000 from one Allston location and nearly $70,000 from a Brighton apartment. Seized items included condoms, lubricants, surveillance cameras, and mobile phones. In total, investigators seized approximately $105,000 in cash. Prosecutors allege the operation generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds over the previous 11 months.

Financial Trail and How Liu Was Identified

Charging documents further allege that financial records showed Liu used a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition benefits card to purchase groceries while allegedly operating the commercial sex business — a detail prosecutors say illustrates the breadth of the alleged deception. Authorities identified her through surveillance and financial records before arresting her in New York.

Potential Penalties

If convicted, Liu faces up to 20 years in prison on the charge of persuading an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution. Each of the three racketeering-related charges carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The charges remain allegations; Liu has not yet entered a plea, and she is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.