Off-Strip Brothel Leads to Las Vegas Arrests, Some 200 Men Spotted Over Two Weeks

Posted on: August 25, 2022, 10:59h. 

Last updated on: August 26, 2022, 12:31h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Two suspects were charged earlier this month for running a brothel after cops discovered the operation near the Las Vegas Strip, news reports revealed this week. Licensed brothels are legal in Nevada but are banned in Clark County, which is home to more than 700K residents.

Heng Van Ho, left, and Yuxiang Tian in mug shots
Heng Van Ho, left, and Yuxiang Tian in mug shots. Both were charged after police discovered an alleged brothel in Las Vegas. (Image: LVMPD)

The duo was identified as Heng Van Ho, of unknown age, and Yuxiang Tian, 37. They were apprehended on Aug. 17. Both were charged with running a brothel, living off the earnings of prostitution, pandering, and money laundering, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Ho has been exploiting and victimizing young females since at least 2016,”LVMPD said in the arrest report.

Tian denied knowing about the brothel, KLAS, a local TV station, reported. He admitted to purchasing supplies for the house.

Ho was released from custody. She is to appear in local court on Sept. 7. Tian was still being held Thursday without bail at the Clark County Detention Center. His incarceration is linked to prior charges. There’s no word if other arrests are likely.

Residential Brothel

Between July 7 and 21, close to 200 men entered and exited the illicit operation located in a bungalow near the intersection of Flamingo Road and Decatur Boulevard, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) revealed. The men spent a short time in the residence, usually less than an hour.

The original inquiry began in June when police were tipped off about illicit activities in the bungalow. An officer stopped a man who left the residence. That man admitted to cops he “paid an Asian female $200” for sex. He found the operation through an ad on Craigslist, police added. On July 21, an LVMPD officer called a number possibly linked to the operation. He received a text message for prostitution services, cops said. The requested charge was $300 an hour, the Review-Journal said.

This month’s search of the brothel led police to locate “a large number of condoms within the residence along with lingerie and other prostitution-related items,” according to an arrest report. Officers also found cash in the residence.

A suspected brothel located in a Las Vegas bungalow
The suspected brothel was located in this Las Vegas bungalow, pictured above. It is near the intersection of Flamingo Road and Decatur Boulevard. (Image: KLAS)

Nevada Sex Trafficking Data

Local courts in Nevada prosecute most sex trafficking cases. That works out to about 60 to 80 a year, the Review-Journal reported in 2021.

In 2020, a record eight trafficking cases were filed by the US Attorney’s office for Nevada in the local federal court. The report adds that there was just one in 2019 and none in 2018.

In April 2021, Tori Magnum, 21, was charged with two counts of sex trafficking a child under 18 and two counts of living from the earnings of a prostitute, according to the Review-Journal. The charges were linked to alleged sex trafficking on the Strip, and in downtown Las Vegas involving two girls, the report added.

Magnum said the girls were paying rent to her. She denied having any role in prostitution. The March charges were eventually dismissed, the Review-Journal said.

In January, Magnum was arrested on similar charges in a new case, the Review-Journal reported. She was charged with sex trafficking a child under 16, first-degree kidnapping of a minor, living from the earnings of a prostitute, and child abuse or neglect, the report said.

Between October and December 2021, a girl allegedly working for Magnum, did 50 or more acts of prostitution on Las Vegas Boulevard or along Tropicana Avenue, police said.