Chinese National Pleads Guilty to Operating Illicit Massage Parlors in Wayne County

LANSING – Today, Huazi Piao, a 61-year-old Chinese national, pled guilty to one count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony, for operating commercial sex operations at illicit massage parlors in Wayne County, announced Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Piao was initially charged by the Attorney General in December 2024.    

Piao was charged following 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.

“I would like to thank the prosecutors from my department and our law enforcement partners whose dedication was instrumental in securing this conviction and delivering justice for human trafficking survivors,” Nessel said. “My office remains committed to combating human trafficking and shutting down the criminal enterprises that perpetuate it.” 

Piao will be sentenced in the 3rd Circuit Court by Judge Tracy Green on October 7. 

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. People who live in the State of Michigan who suspect human trafficking can call 855-MICH-TIP for assistance.