Woman accused of running brothels

federal grand jury accused a Thai woman Friday of operating brothels in Kirkland, Bellevue and SeaTac.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Chomphoonut Dongird on Thursday on a charge of conspiracy to transport individuals in furtherance of prostitution. Dongird is accused of arranging sham marriages for the purpose of bringing Asian women to the United States to work for her as prostitutes.
Dongird's and her co-conspirators' goal: "To make substantial sums of money through the recruitment and exploitation of Asian women by causing the women to work in the commercial sex industry," the indictment said.
Dongird ran brothels at 1942 Market St., Kirkland; 16407 Lake Hills Blvd., Bellevue; and 3312 S. 192 St., SeaTac, according to the indictment. To staff the brothels, she is accused of recruiting women in Bangkok, Thailand. On one occasion in 2006, Dongird sent a co-conspirator to Thailand to marry a woman through a sham arrangement so she could gain entrance to the United States, court documents say.
When the woman -- identified only as AF1 -- arrived in Seattle, Dongird told her she owed a debt of about $25,000 for her immigration papers and for travel to the United States, according to the indictment. A month later, she began working for Dongird "as a masseuse and was required to provide sexual services."
As AF 1 paid off her debt to Dongird, she worked at the brothels in Kirkland and Bellevue, the indictment said.
In June 2006, a second woman answered a newspaper ad to work as a masseuse and traveled to Seattle from California where she, too, performed sexual services for money.
In June 2002, a third woman traveled from Bangkok to Seattle and worked for Dongird as a household servant and prostitute, the indictment says.
ICE agents arrested Dongird at her SeaTac home without incident. She appeared in magistrate court Thursday, but the hearing was postponed because she speaks limited English.
At a magistrate hearing Friday in the presence of an interpreter, Dongird pleaded not guilty to the charge.
"I did not do it," she said quietly in English.
If found guilty, she faces five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. She is a citizen of Thailand and a legal, permanent resident of the United States, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Scoville said.
A magistrate judge ordered her held pending a detention hearing next week.
An ICE spokeswoman would not reveal more details of the alleged brothel ring, saying the case is still under investigation.