2 Men Convicted For Roles In Queens-Based Sex Trafficking Ring: Feds

QUEENS, NY — Two men have been convicted for their roles in a Queens-based sex trafficking and prostitution ring, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Siyang Chen has been charged with sex trafficking conspiracy, several assaults in-aid-of racketeering and Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy.

Yichu Chen has been charged with robbery and assault of a sex worker in Virginia in 2020, prosecutors said.

“The trial evidence provided a behind-the-scenes view of the horrific machinations of a sex trafficking organization in all its inhumanity and violence motivated by greed,” said United States Attorney Breon Peace. “This verdict is a victory for justice and for the victims who were subjected to brutal beatings and degrading treatment at the hands of the defendants."

Between April 2019 and September 2021, Siyang and Yichu Chen helped lead a nationwide prostitution business that trafficked women, prosecutors said.

Members of the organization directed and carried out violent attacks on commercial sex workers to protect the enterprise’s turf and deter the victims from working for rival organizations or independently, according to court documents.

Siyang was a manager of the criminal enterprise, who advised the organization on
strategies to improve profits, including by using violence— by targeting and attacking sex workers, prosecutors said.

Victims were beaten with breaker bars, hammers, wrenches, and other blunt objects, leaving the victims bloody, and, in many cases, seriously injured.

Yichu was part of the organization’s “hit team.” was recruited to beat a woman who was engaging in commercial sex work for a rival prostitution business at a location in Centreville, Virginia, prosecutors said.

Ten co-defendants charged in a superseding indictment have pleaded guilty to various charges for their roles in the organization, including its boss and Siyang Chen’s wife, Rong Rong Xu, and are currently awaiting sentencing.

Siyang faces up to life in prison if convicted. Yichu faces up to 20 years in prison.