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Chinese man convicted of trafficking prostitutes to Hawaii

COURTESY PHOTO

Wei Li was convicted after pleading no-contest to racketeering-related charges.

A man is facing deportation to China after being convicted of trafficking Chinese women to work as prostitutes in Hawaii massage parlors.

The Honolulu prosecuting attorney’s office announced today that Wei Li was convicted after pleading no-contest to racketeering-related charges.

Prosecuting Attorney Keith Kaneshiro says this is the first time a foreign national has been prosecuted and convicted of trafficking foreign women into Hawaii for prostitution.

Kaneshiro says confidential informants helped prove the women he brought worked in the Mayflower and Empire Relax massage parlors in Honolulu.

Now-closed Mayflower owner Biyu Situ was convicted Monday in federal court of bribing agents to protect her business from prostitution raids.

Kaneshiro spokesman Chuck Parker says Honolulu prosecutors dropped a prostitution case against her because she cooperated in the case against Li.

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