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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, October 8, 2006

Women tell of forced sex in American Samoa

Associated Press

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — A federal indictment charges two people for allegedly luring two Chinese women to American Samoa, trapping them in a karaoke bar and forcing them into prostitution.

The women say they paid $2,000 to travel to the U.S. territory to get jobs as cashiers at a grocery store, but instead they were imprisoned in a karaoke bar and forced to have sex with customers, according to an FBI affidavit by Special Agent Jason S. Cherry.

After six months, the women eventually escaped by climbing down a rope from the third-story balcony of the Bao Kai Karaoke Bar, according to the FBI.

Fu Shen Kuo, 39, and Shenji Wang, 35, were indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Honolulu. They're being held without bail at the federal detention center in Honolulu, said Pamela Tamashiro, Wang's attorney.

"The Bao Kai is known to ... provide Asian women for sex in exchange for money," according to the affidavit.

The women told police they were recruited around Jan. 26 to work in American Samoa. But once they arrived in March, Wang threatened to beat them if they didn't have sex with her customers.

Wang told one of the victims that her family's arms and legs would be cut off if she attempted to escape, according to the affidavit.

"Wang frequently told victim No. 1 and victim No. 2 that if they did not have sex with customers, they would not be fed," the affidavit said. "Wang routinely said, 'No sex ... no food.' "

The victims were originally locked on the second floor and were only allowed to leave their rooms during working hours in the bar.

In May, the victims were moved to the third floor because Wang had learned they were talking about escaping from the bar.

"The residence had chicken wire over the windows preventing the victims from leaving through the windows and all of the exterior doors were locked by Wang," the affidavit said.

One of the victims told the FBI she was forced to have various forms of sex with between 60 and 70 customers during the six months she was held at the bar.

Both victims told the FBI they were not paid directly by the customers for sex, but the customers told them they paid Wang for their services.

On Aug. 30, the two women climbed out the window and flagged down a police car.

They were escorted to Ho-nolulu on Sept. 15 by the FBI. X-rays of one of the victims showed she broke her left foot during the escape.