A Chinese national has pleaded guilty to conducting a criminal enterprise, a felony charge relating to an international human trafficking ring operating out of massage parlors in Metro Detroit, the Michigan Attorney General's office reported. 

Huazi Piao, 61, was charged as part of an investigation that started in 2024 when St. Clair Shores police investigated a massage parlor. In the meantime, Michigan State Police assisted the Maumee Police Department in Ohio on an investigation that led to illicit parlors in Southeast Michigan. As the investigation continued, other agencies got involved, including Michigan State Police and Homeland Security Investigations. 

Three other people also faced charges in the aftermath of the investigation, according to previous reports. 

The charge Piao pled to involved activity in Wayne County, the press release said. 

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel previously said several women, who had Chinese and Korean origins, were rescued from the alleged trafficking ring. 

Piao will be sentenced Oct. 7 in Third Circuit Court. The charge is a 20-year felony. 

Victims of human trafficking or those who know someone they think may need help can contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 888-373-7888 or text 233733. This national, toll-free hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and all calls are confidential.