Eight accused of human trafficking at Warren 'spas'

An 83-count indictment filed in Trumbull County accuses eight people of operating a human trafficking ring that compelled women into prostitution at illegal massage parlors in the Mahoning Valley.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene announced Wednesday that the indictment alleges that the defendants ran the Tiger Spa and Sunny Spa, both located on West Market Street in Warren, as fronts for sex trafficking and money laundering. The crime ring purportedly held Korean women at the establishments for periods of up to three months, requiring them to live on the premises and engage in sex acts for payment. The Tiger Spa is no longer in operation.

The charges, all felonies, are the result of an ongoing investigation by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, which operates under the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, part of Yost’s office. In March 2023, the task force and partner agencies executed search warrants at the businesses as part of "Operation Saving Daylight," a coordinated effort that led to the seizure of significant amounts of cash, financial assets, and business records.

The investigation culminated in this week’s indictment, covering alleged criminal activity spanning more than five years. Many of the 83 counts name multiple defendants.

The eight individuals facing charges are:

Tae Suk Hwang, also known as “Jeannie,” 62, of Saginaw, Michigan: charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, one count of trafficking in persons – commercial sex acts, 58 counts of money laundering, and 14 counts of promoting prostitution.

Dong Meliodon, also known as “Sara,” 62, of Duluth, Georgia: charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, 34 counts of money laundering, and six counts of promoting prostitution.

Suk Hui Starr, 64, of Fort Worth, Texas: charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, 12 counts of money laundering, and two counts of promoting prostitution.

Miock Dong Schaffer, also known as “Cookie,” 56, of Norwalk, Ohio: charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, nine counts of money laundering, and one count of promoting prostitution.

Chang Mi Hwang, also known as “Cherry,” 59, of Duluth, Georgia: charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and three counts of promoting prostitution.

Young Hee Yoon, 56, of Warren, Ohio: charged with two counts of promoting prostitution.

Kum Cha Shugars, 75, of Dallas: charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity and one count of promoting prostitution.

Young Sug Kim, also known as “Young Crazy,” 61, of New Waterford, Ohio: charged with one count of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.

More than two dozen of the charges include additional specifications for the forfeiture of assets.

Yost’s Special Prosecutions Section is prosecuting the case in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.

Investigators also executed another search warrant at the Sunny Spa on Wednesday.