WARREN, Ohio — Six people have been sentenced for their roles in a human trafficking sex ring that operated out of two massage parlors in Warren, Ohio. Attorney General Dave Yost and Mahoning County Sheriff Jerry Greene announced on Wednesday.
The Scioto Valley Guardian previously reported on the raid and arrests connected to the case.
The defendants, who entered guilty pleas in February, received the maximum sentences and fines in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. Their prison terms were suspended on the condition that all fines are paid within 12 months. The group will also forfeit more than $332,000 in seized funds as part of plea agreements.
The sentences
Young Hee Yoon, 57, of Warren, received the heaviest sentence at 144 months in prison, suspended, with a $37,500 fine. She also faces deportation. Charles McGill, 69, of Warren, was sentenced to 130 months, suspended, with a $35,000 fine.
Sunny Oh, 68, of Palisades Park, New Jersey, received 84 months, suspended, with a $27,500 fine. Miock Dong Schaffer, 57, of Norwalk, known as “Cookie,” was sentenced to 72 months, suspended, with a $17,500 fine.
Tae Suk Hwang, 63, of Saginaw, Michigan, known as “Jeannie,” received 68 months, suspended, with a $31,000 fine. Young Sug Kim, 62, of New Waterford, known as “Young Crazy,” was sentenced to 66 months, suspended, with a $17,500 fine. Kim also faces deportation.
The operation
Investigators say the group ran a human trafficking ring that forced women into prostitution at two Warren establishments — Tiger Spa and Sunny Spa. Indictments filed last year accused the defendants of confining women at the businesses, forcing them to live on the premises and perform sex acts for money. Profits were wired out of state, authorities said.
The case stemmed from an investigation by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force, formed under Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission and led by the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office.
In March 2023, the task force and partnering agencies executed search warrants at both businesses as part of “Operation Saving Daylight,” a coordinated crackdown during which investigators seized large amounts of cash, financial assets and business records.
“This group ran a cash-for-sex operation behind the façade of a massage parlor and tried to wire their illicit profits out of state,” Yost said. “Under the leadership of Sheriff Greene, our task force conducted a meticulous investigation, tracing funds and seizing key evidence to build an airtight case.”
What’s next
Two additional defendants, Dong Melidong and Chang Hwang, are scheduled to be sentenced on April 9. Cases against other defendants remain pending.
Yost’s Special Prosecutions Section prosecuted the cases in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.