12 women rescued in Puget Sound human trafficking bust

Seattle, Wash. — (KING) King County, Bellevue police, and federal officials announced Thursday they rescued 12 women, arrested 14 men, and shut down multiple brothels and two websites as part of a human trafficking and prostitution bust.

Sheriff John Urquhart says the two websites targeted were thereviewboard.net and kgirldelights.com. The “K” in kgirldelights.com stands for Korean.

Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett said the arrests happened Tuesday and Wednesday in Bellevue and the both King and Pierce counties. Eleven of those arrested were either part of a group called “The League,” or ran thereviewboard.net.

Urquhart said kgirldelights.com was ran by “The League” and was used to further illegal human trafficking. The women were forced into prostitution to pay debts. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said some of the women were forced to work 12 hours a day, servicing up to ten Johns per day.

Urquhart said the suspects had no criminal records and some were businessmen. They would meet regularly to discuss their business. He said undercover detectives infiltrated “The League,” leading to the arrests.

Twelve brothels were shut down in the bust. Mylett said one of the brothels was discovered thanks to a resident who called police to report unusual activity at a high-end downtown Bellevue apartment complex. Police say the owner was a member of “The League” and was one of the most active users of thereviewboard.net.

Satterberg said the men are charged with second degree promoting prostitution, which Is a Class C felony. They face a maximum of five years in prison.