Brothel Owner Pleads Guilty To Racketeering After Sting Operation In Dallas

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A 59-year-old brothel owner has pleaded guilty to racketeering after she was arrested in a sting operation in Dallas last fall, the U.S. Attorney announced Thursday.

Helen Kim, who authorities say owned two brothels, pleaded guilty to one count of using a facility of interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise involving prostitution.

According to the U.S. Attorney, the owner of Pink One and Illusion Spa admitted to agreeing to a $40,000 deal to provide 20 to 25 women as sex services to out-of-town "businessmen" at a hotel in Dallas. Her 36-year-old son also allegedly helped during the negotiations.

Officials said she had actually agreed to the deal with undercover law enforcement officers with Dallas police, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

More than 50 officers were involved in the November 2018 operation. According to officials, the undercover officers posed as the businessmen at the hotel bar and in the hotel rooms.

According to the plea papers, Kim said she employed more than 10 sex workers at her two brothels.

After the guilty plea, she faces up to five years in federal prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the operation helped liberate dozens of sex workers in Dallas.

"I am proud that our law enforcement partners poured significant resources into this sting operation in order to liberate the numerous women that Ms. Kim sold for sex," U.S. Attorney Nealy Cox said. "We were determined to hold her accountable for her willingness to demean other women for financial gain."