A Chinese woman, Zengzeng Liu, also known as Bella, residing in Flushing, New York, was recently indicted by a federal grand jury in Massachusetts. She is accused of long-term involvement in operating a cross-state prostitution network, arranging Asian women to engage in sexual transactions at residential brothels in Allston and Brighton in Boston, and allegedly running an underground gambling operation. Liu was arrested yesterday in New York and is scheduled to make her first court appearance at the federal court in Boston on July 8.
According to the indictment released by the federal prosecutors, Liu is charged with one count of recruiting and arranging others to engage in prostitution across state lines, as well as three counts of using interstate communication facilities to operate an illegal sex trafficking enterprise.
The prosecutors stated that since August 2025, Liu allegedly managed a multinational sex trafficking network, recruiting women mainly from Japan, Vietnam, China, and the Philippines through overseas intermediaries, arranging for them to provide sexual services at several residential brothels in the greater Boston area.
The indictment alleges that Liu was responsible for scheduling the times and locations of sexual transactions, contacting clients and collecting commissions, while also using commercial pornography websites to advertise, directing buyers to contact her controlled phone line. Undercover agents reported that Liu not only negotiated transaction prices but also required clients to provide work permits and other identification documents for “approval” before arranging the transactions.
Investigations revealed that several victimized women informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that they received instructions from a woman known as “Bella,” their “female boss,” via WeChat, without ever meeting her in person. One woman from Japan stated that five days before arriving in Boston to work, she stayed in Flushing and, after dialing a phone number introduced by a friend, was directed to work at an apartment in Boston. All information regarding clients was communicated through WeChat groups, and the earnings from sexual transactions were regularly collected by others and ultimately handed over to “Bella.”
Federal agents reported finding over $20,000 in cash during a search of a residential brothel on Gardner Street in Boston. Upon reviewing surveillance footage from October 4th to 7th, 2025, investigators observed at least 62 individuals suspected of purchasing sexual services entering and leaving the apartment within three days, estimating that the location could generate up to $50,000 in revenue in that timeframe.
Prosecutors revealed that when tracing the financial transaction records of a woman involved in the case, they discovered she had used a WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) benefits card for shopping. After cross-referencing state government data and surveillance footage, it was confirmed that the cardholder was Zengzeng Liu, with a registered address on Maple Avenue in Flushing.
Additionally, officers executed a search warrant at another residence of Liu on Avery Avenue in Flushing, where they found gambling tables, surveillance cameras, money counting machines, and a safe, raising suspicion that the location was also being used as an illegal gambling establishment.
In their arrest warrant application, law enforcement officials stated that based on their investigation, Liu is suspected to be part of a well-organized international criminal group. The prosecution believes that this group recruited foreign women and assisted them in crossing borders to the U.S. for commercial sex work, with Liu allegedly responsible for coordinating, arranging, and managing related operations.
Federal prosecutors highlighted that Liu is suspected of using fraud and forged documents to rent residences as brothels, having overseas connections in China, and given the significant cash flow of the implicated organization, she poses a flight risk. Therefore, they have requested the court to order her detention.
The case is currently under trial, and all charges are pending further review and adjudication by the court.