Overview
Zengzeng Liu, a 40-year-old Chinese national, was arrested on federal charges for her alleged involvement in trafficking women from Asia for a prostitution ring based in Boston. Liu, also known as ‘Bella,’ was indicted on June 24 by a federal grand jury in Massachusetts. She faces four counts of recruiting individuals to engage in prostitution and three counts related to racketeering communication operations, according to an affidavit by an FBI task force member.
Operation Discovery
Authorities uncovered the operation in late 2025. An FBI task force began investigating advertisements linked to a known prostitution-facilitating website. The ads directed customers to apartments in Boston’s Allston and Brighton neighborhoods.
FBI Raid
An undercover FBI agent contacted a number from one of the ads, arranging a $600 sex encounter at an Allston apartment. A neighbor had complained of frequent male visitors there. When agents entered the apartment, they found a woman in her underwear who identified herself as originally from Japan. The woman used a translation app to communicate with investigators. She explained she had traveled from Flushing, Queens, New York, to Boston five days earlier on instructions from Liu, whom she only knew as the ‘boss.’ She was recruited for the operation via the Chinese app WeChat.
‘The Boss’
Communication about ‘dates’ was managed through WeChat group chats. After client transactions, a portion of the money was collected by Asian men and handed to Liu. Investigators identified other women from Japan and Vietnam involved in similar recruitment methods. They were confined to the apartments upon arrival and had not met Liu personally.
Punitive Measures
If convicted, Liu may face up to 20 years in prison for each count related to recruitment for prostitution. She faces up to five years for each count associated with racketeering.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Frances Mao and Tony Phillips.
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