Passport Seized and Forced into Prostitution Under the Pretext of Airfare Fees
An American couple who promised restaurant jobs to Korean women, brought them to the United States, confiscated their passports, and forced them into prostitution were brought to trial on the 11th. The photo shows the United States Supreme Court and is not directly related to the content of the article.
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] An American couple who lured Korean women to the United States by falsely promising they could work in restaurants and bars, then confiscated their passports and forced them into prostitution, have been brought to trial.
On the 11th (local time), the New York Daily News reported that the couple who forced two Korean women into prostitution have been indicted on 18 charges including procuring prostitution.
The media reported that Jungja Orenstein (62) and her husband Eric Orenstein (49) are under investigation for 18 charges including procuring prostitution.
They are accused of posting job advertisements promising victims they could earn money working in American restaurants and bars, but in reality forced them into prostitution.
Victim A was promised a restaurant job by the couple in 2015 and went to the United States, only to be forced into prostitution.
The couple confiscated A’s passport, using the airfare they provided to the U.S. as leverage, and demanded $10,000 for airfare and passport issuance fees, forcing her to repay the debt through prostitution.
A was confined and worked under these conditions, and about two years later, in March 2017, her passport was returned.
Victim B also came to the U.S. in 2001 after seeing a job advertisement in Korea. B was also reported to have had her passport confiscated by the couple and worked like a slave in a bar for a year.
The couple withheld wages under the pretext of airfare and lodging expenses, and B was only allowed to keep tips. Eric, the husband, reportedly wielded a metal pipe to break things and physically assaulted her whenever income was insufficient.
B said, "Whenever I tried to escape, the couple pressured me to repay the debt. The wife threatened me saying, ‘Do you think I can’t find you?’"
The couple partially transferred B’s debt to others, and B was sold to massage parlors and forced into prostitution. After moving through several massage parlors, B finally got her passport back in 2017.
B also testified, "In March last year, the defendant couple came to find me and tried to extort money, claiming I still owed them."
The prosecutor said, "B handed over $8,500 she had saved out of concern for her safety and defamation. This case involves the defendants deliberately bringing two Korean women to Queens, New York, and forcing them into prostitution. This is exactly why I established the Human Trafficking Investigation Unit in the prosecutor’s office."
The defendants’ lawyer said, "In 2017, the complainant who lived in the defendants’ basement apartment stole $30,000 and ran away. Last year, my clients went to find the complainant to recover that money."
The couple also claimed, "The complainant’s boyfriend assaulted us, so we filed an assault charge against him, but withdrew it due to threats from Korean gangsters. The prostitution charges against us are revenge for that."
The couple is currently awaiting sentencing. Local media predict that if found guilty, each could face up to 25 years in prison.
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