A Los Angeles couple and the man’s ex-wife have been charged with recruiting Russian call girls to work in local brothels, federal immigration officials announced.
Mher “Mike” Hakopyan, 38, and his wife Natalya Muravyeva, 31, of Los Angeles, were charged Monday in federal court in Santa Ana of suspicion of conspiracy to transport prostitutes.
Hakopyan’s ex, Alla Kassianova, 43, of Los Angeles, was also charged and is believed to have fled the country.
They were charged after a 10-month federal probe that alleged the defendants brought women from Eastern Europe to Southern California to work as prostitutes.
“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting vulnerable victims from ruthless profiteers,” said U.S. Attorney Andr Birotte Jr., in a statement.
“International prostitution rings like the one alleged in this case span jurisdictions and have a direct negative impact on both the woman involved and also on our local communities.”
The couple was arrested at their home in the 800 block of North Crescent Boulevard by agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Santa Monica police detectives. Both were held without bail.
If convicted, each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison.
According to the case affidavit, they employed recruiters in Russia and Eastern Europe to target 14 women who wanted to work in the U.S. sex trade.
They then bought them plane tickets and coached them how to enter the country via the Visa Waiver Program.
In Los Angeles, they got them homes, had them photographed in provocative poses and advertised their services on the Internet.
On Monday, agents searched a Los Angeles home and two apartments suspected as serving as brothels for the ring.
The federal investigation began in September 2011 after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers became suspicious of two Latvian women at Los Angeles International Airport. But their stories didn’t add up.
If you have been arrested for the crime of prostitution, contact experience Los Angeles Criminal Defense Lawyer Max Gorby at (310) 200-9651.
Feds bust Russian prostitution ring in L.A. – LA Daily News.
