information from King County Sheriff's office

On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, King County Sheriff’s Office Detectives arrested two suspects in connection with a two-year-long organized crime and money laundering operation.

The investigation began in January 2021 after a complaint was lodged by a community member about a massage parlor in Burien. The verbal complaint alleged concerns of prostitution, and other suspicious behavior, occurring at the business.

Detectives looked into the concerns and their investigation led them to nine (9) different businesses spanning four (4) different counties – Benton, King, Snohomish, and Skagit.

(A map of the locations can be viewed HERE.)

On the final day of the operation, Detectives served 11 warrants at multiple locations and seized over $600 thousand dollars in US currency. Along with support from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and The Genesis Project, KCSO also rescued 23 victims, all of whom were offered resources. (Stats sheet can be found HERE.)

The suspects, Jing and Gerald Emtage were booked into King County Jail. Each has been charged with Leading Organized Crime, Money Laundering, and ten (10) counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Second Degree. The next court date is arraignment, scheduled for May 11 at 9:00 am at the MRJC.

We’d like to recognize all the agencies that assisted and supported us throughout this investigation:

• KCSO Intel Unit
• KCSO Special Assault Unit (SAU)
• SeaTac PD Special Emphasis Team (SET)
• Precinct 4 SET
• Precinct 4 High Visibility Team (HVT)
• Precinct 5 SET
• Precinct 5 Criminal Investigations Division
• Metro SET
• Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
• Skagit County Task Force
• Kirkland SET
• Richland SET
• Renton SET
• King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
• The Genesis Project

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's office added this information:

Jing Emtage (case #: 23-C-01573-4) and Gerald Emtage (case #: 23-C-01574-2) have each been charged with multiple felony counts related to a criminal enterprise involving the commercial sexual exploitation of dozens of women across four counties in Washington State. Charges include:

·Leading Organized Crime

·Money Laundering

·10 counts of Promoting Prostitution in the Second Degree

The charges were filed on May 3, and King County Prosecutors requested $1 million bail – the amount set by a judge.

The next court date is arraignment, scheduled for May 11 at 9:00 at the MRJC.

Are there additional potential victims in this case?

There may be many women who are never identified. There’s a large network of these massage parlors and other operations across the country, and they work to move women between the parlors.

The investigation is by no means complete – we can’t speak to specifics, but it is ongoing.

Do these defendants have a criminal history?

Jing Emtage has no known criminal history.

Gerald Emtage is currently on a deferred sentence for Patronizing a Prostitute out of King County District Court. According to the docket he was sentenced in that matter on January 9, 2023.

What possible sentence will these two individuals face?

While our office will make a sentencing recommendation, sentences are ultimately up to the judge who makes sentencing determinations based on an individual’s criminal history, offender score, and the statewide sentencing guidelines.

In this case, Jing Emtage (case #: 23-C-01573-4) does not have a criminal history and Gerald Emtage (case #: 23-C-01574-2) is currently on a deferred sentence for Patronizing a Prostitute out of King County District Court.

That charge was a misdemeanor and will not factor into his sentence in this matter. 

Accordingly, if convicted on all charges, they both be looking at a sentencing range of 149-198 months (12.4 – 16.5 years).

How would new charges affect Mr. Emtage’s deferred charges?

If an individual completes the requirements set during their deferral period, then their conviction goes away. Since Mr. Emtage is now out of compliance, the new charges will be added to his criminal record.

What do we know about the status and welfare of the victims?

At the time of the service of the warrant, there were community advocates from API Chaya to assist and offer culturally and linguistically appropriate services, as well as advocates from the Genesis Project. Richland PD also had assistance from their Support, Advocacy, & Resource Center, who were on location to meet with the victims, and provide resources to include food and housing as well as access to numerous other resources.

These services have been made available to the women, and those who chose to engage have. We know that at least a couple of the women have been in contact with API Chaya.

None of the women are being criminally charged; they are being treated as victims. The focus is on shutting down the people that are exploiting them.

How does this compare to other cases you’ve seen?

There have been other significant promoting prostitution charges from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, but the Leading Organized Crime charge is somewhat unprecedented. Given the number of victims, storefronts, and the volume of money involved, this case is significant. 

What’s the status of the two defendants?

As of Monday May 8, Jing Emtage remained in custody, but Gerald posted bail on Friday May 5.

Gerald will have to be on EHM with GPS monitoring, per our request.

We’ve also requested that defendants be ordered to surrender their passports and that the court order that they have no contact with each other and no contact with any of the victims.

What’s next in the court case?

Arraignment, on May 11. That’s opportunity to enter plea, and we expect that bail will be addressed at that time.