BOISE, Idaho — New details revealed in court as three people face charges accused of running a human trafficking and prostitution operation out of an Eagle massage parlor. I'm your Eagle neighborhood reporter, Alexander Huddleston, at the courthouse where a judge set bail for those defendants at ten and five million dollars.
Three suspects are now facing a long list of criminal charges after Ada County law enforcement said they had been surveilling the Head to Toe massage parlor in Eagle for the last two years. Now prosecutors say the people in charge were forcing employees into prostitution and holding employees against their will.
"How do I traffic people? I don't even drive," said Defendant Xinhui Shi via court interpreter.
I was there on Thursday when deputies served that search warrant and obtained evidence in the case. Officials say they found many items used for sexual activities and the area where their victims were kept.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Austin Payne said, "The area was described by law enforcement as worse than a jail cell."
Defendant Dorris Li is being charged with prostitution and is being held at a ten-million-dollar bond. Defendant Xinhui Shi faces several charges, including prostitution, human sex trafficking, commercial sexual activity, and interstate trafficking in commercial sexual activity.
"The defendant here was specifically responsible for making the job postings on the Chinese job forum," said Payne, referring to Shi.
Shi was held to a five million dollar bond, and both defendants were given a no-contact order with their victims.
The next hearing for the defendants will be on January 29th
