Chinese National to Stand Trial on Human Trafficking Charges

LANSING – Yesterday, Huazi Piao, a 60-year-old Chinese national, was bound over to stand trial in the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County on human trafficking charges related to commercial sex operations at illicit massage parlors in Wayne County, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Piao, who was arrested last month, is charged with:   

• One count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony;
• One count of Conspiracy to Commit a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony;
• One count of Accepting Earnings from Prostitution, a 20-year felony;
• One count of Money Laundering, a 10-year felony; and
• Two counts of Keeping a House of Prostitution, 5-year felonies.  

The charges follow an investigation launched in the summer of last year into an alleged international human trafficking ring involving multiple local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Michigan State Police, and the St. Clair Shores Police Department.  

“Far too many in our communities fall victim to human trafficking and endure trauma that leaves lasting scars,” Nessel said. “I would like to thank the prosecutors in my office and our many law enforcement partners whose efforts led to the liberation of several women from the horrors they endured, and I look forward to Ms. Piao standing trial for her alleged crimes.”   

Piao will next appear in the 3rd Circuit Court on January 13, 2025.  

More on Attorney General Nessel’s human trafficking initiative can be found at the Attorney General’s website. Victims of human trafficking or those who have identified someone they think may need help can contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text 233733. This is a national, toll-free hotline that is available to answer calls, texts, and chats from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. All calls are confidential