A 40-year-old Flushing, New York woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with an alleged international sex trafficking operation based in residential brothels in Boston’s Allston and Brighton neighborhoods.
Zengzeng Liu, also known as “Bella,” was arrested in the Eastern District of New York and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Boston on July 8, 2026, at 11 a.m. The case was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.
According to charging documents, Liu, a Chinese national and lawful permanent resident of the United States, is accused of operating the network beginning no later than August 2025. Prosecutors allege she recruited women primarily from China, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines to travel to the Greater Boston area and engage in commercial sex acts at apartments in Allston and Brighton.
Authorities allege Liu controlled scheduling, set prices, coordinated appointments with buyers, and collected a commission from proceeds. Investigators further allege she used intermediaries abroad to recruit women and relied on fraud and forged or altered documents to secure and maintain apartments used as brothels.
Prosecutors say Liu advertised women on commercial sex websites and directed prospective buyers to phone numbers allegedly controlled by her. During undercover communications, she allegedly negotiated prices, directed buyers to specific apartment locations, and required vetting steps, including submission of identifying documents and workplace photographs, before appointments were arranged.
Victims interviewed by investigators said they received instructions through the WeChat messaging application from a person they knew as “Bella,” described as a “female boss” who organized their appointments but was never met in person. According to court filings, victims traveled through multiple countries, including China, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines, before arriving in the Boston area.
Authorities allege women at the locations were instructed to collect payments from buyers but were allowed to keep only a portion, with the remainder collected by couriers and routed back to Liu.
During a search of the Allston apartment, law enforcement allegedly encountered recently arrived women from Japan who reported performing commercial sex acts for several days. Investigators said they seized nearly $35,000 in cash, along with condoms, lubrication, surveillance cameras, and cellphones. Surveillance footage allegedly showed dozens of individuals entering and exiting the apartment over multiple weekends.
At the Brighton apartment, authorities reported encountering women from Japan and Vietnam who said they had been engaged in commercial sex acts for several days and were not permitted to leave. One victim allegedly reported injuries including bruising on her knees, legs, and feet. Investigators said they seized nearly $70,000 in cash from the location.
In total, approximately $105,000 in cash was seized during the investigation. Prosecutors allege financial records and surveillance evidence indicate the operation generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue over the past 11 months. Charging documents also state Liu used a Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition benefits card to purchase groceries during the period of the alleged operation.
Liu is charged with one count of persuading an individual to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution and three counts of using facilities of interstate or foreign commerce in aid of racketeering enterprises. The first charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while each additional count carries up to five years if convicted.
