Federal authorities say they've shut down a San Francisco Bay Area prostitution ring that operated dozens of brothels for more than a decade.
The San Jose Mercury News reported Friday that the U.S. Attorney's Office has indicted 10 people in connection with the operation that brought women from Asian countries to work as prostitutes. The charges include money laundering, importing people for immoral purposes and the promotion of prostitution.
Authorities say the group ran 40 brothels in places, including San Francisco, Sunnyvale and Fremont, with advertisements on websites, such as MyRedbook, Craigslist and Backpage.
They say the ring started back in 2002, sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to Singapore, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The defendants each face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
