Press Release  Beverly Couple Arrested for Trafficking Women for Sex at Salem Brothel

Boston — A Beverly man and woman have been arrested and arraigned for trafficking women for sex at a Salem brothel that served as an alleged front for human trafficking and money laundering, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today. 

Woonryong Heo, age 29, and Hayun Nam, age 29, were arrested on Wednesday in Beverly by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office. Heo and Nam were charged with one count each of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude, Deriving Support from Prostitution, and Money Laundering.

The defendants were arraigned on Thursday in Salem District Court where they both pleaded not guilty to the charges. Bail was set at $50,000 cash for each defendant, with the conditions of release that both Heo and Nam remain on house arrest with GPS tracking, stay away from and have no contact with the victim, surrender their passports, and not travel out of state. A probable cause hearing is scheduled for March 14. 

These arrests are the result of an investigation by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office. During the course of the investigation, authorities developed evidence indicating that Heo and Nam ran a profitable and organized criminal enterprise through a residential brothel in Salem where they offered sexual activity between women and buyers in exchange for a fee.

The defendants allegedly recruited women, advertised sexual services online, set up appointments for sexual encounters, and transported the women, in some cases bringing them to or from South Station in Boston and Flushing, N.Y. Heo and Nam allegedly received most of the profits from the sexual encounters.

AG Healey’s Victim Services Division is working with victim service organizations to ensure victims have the assistance and services they need.

The investigation remains ongoing. These charges are allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

AG Healey has a dedicated Human Trafficking Division that focuses on policy, prevention and prosecution and includes a team of specialized prosecutors, victim advocates and Massachusetts State Police troopers who handle high impact, multi-jurisdictional human trafficking investigations and prosecutions across the state. Through the Human Trafficking Division, the AG’s Office has charged more than 40 individuals in connection with human trafficking since the law was passed.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bourgeois, of the AG’s Human Trafficking Division, with assistance from AG Healey’s Victim/Witness Services Division Chief Nikki Antonucci and Senior Financial Investigator Molly Parks. The investigation was handled by the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office, with assistance from the AG’s Digital Evidence Lab, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Beverly, Salem, Boston and Lexington Police Departments, and the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.

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