California agents arrest two, shut down brothels in Sacramento and Placer counties
California human trafficking investigators on Wednesday arrested two people suspected of running a prostitution ring involving seven women in brothels in Sacramento and Placer counties.
Paul Anthony Gregorio and Xuan Phi Nguyen have been charged with eight felony counts of pandering for operating the locations for prostitution, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Sacramento Superior Court. The case against the defendants is being prosecuted by the California Department of Justice’s Special Prosecutions Section.
Gregorio, 31, and Nguyen, 35, were both in custody Wednesday afternoon at the Sacramento County Jail. They’re scheduled to make their first court appearance on Friday afternoon, according to jail records.
Prosecutors allege in the complaint that the defendants operated the prostitution ring from April 23, 2020, through May 4, 2022. Special agents from the Department of Justice’s Human Trafficking and Sexual Predator Apprehension Team served search warrants on Wednesday, shutting down the brothels and arresting Gregorio and Nguyen, according to a news release from the state Attorney General’s Office.
While serving the search warrants, the agents also also seized a total of $54,891 in cash. State prosecutors did not say where the alleged brothels were located or whether they had a business front.
During Wednesday’s enforcement operation, service providers were on call to offer resources and support for those in need, prosecutors said.
The state agents were assisted by the Tax Recovery in the Underground Economy Task Force and the White Collar Fraud Investigation Team, along with help from the Sacramento Police Department, the Citrus Heights Police Department, Placer Special Investigations Unit Task Force, the Roseville Police Department and the California Department of Health Care Services.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 5:54 PM.
