Two sisters in San Francisco, accused of selling women for sex at several brothels, were arrested June 9, 2014, for allegedly operating a sex-trafficking ring in the Richmond District, according to the California Attorney General’s office.

The arrests of Qiao “Judy” He, 37, and Gaineng He, 36, both of San Francisco, are the result of a five-month joint investigation by the California Attorney General’s Office, the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

A Department of Justice task force began investigating the two sisters back in January.  The investigation revealed that “Johns” paid as much as $200 for sexual intercourse with their choice of young Asian women in the brothels.   During the investigation, the defendants repeatedly told undercover agents that “new girls” were brought in every Sunday.

Agents with the California Department of Justice, HSI and SFPD executed search warrants on four San Francisco locations on May 7, 2014.  The two sisters are charged with felony pimping and pandering and are still under investigation for tax fraud and conspiracy violations.

“Human trafficking cannot be tolerated, ” said Alan Barcelona, president of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) which represents law enforcement agents and officers from the various state agencies that participated in the investigation.   “Human trafficking destroys lives, families and communities.  Unfortunately,  our agents and officers  have no shortage of cases to investigate.  These investigations involve dangerous undercover work and our law enforcement professionals are to be commended for their professionalism and commitment to public safety.”

The joint investigation was led by the California Attorney General’s statewide TRACE Task Force, which includes representatives of the FBI, California Franchise Tax Board, California Board of Equalization, California Employment Development Department and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.