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Minnesotans Among 36 Sentenced In Int'l Thai Sex Trafficking Ring

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two Minnesota men are among the 36 people sentenced Thursday for their roles in a "massive" international sex trafficking organization that forced hundreds of women from Thailand into sex work throughout the United States.

John Zbracki, 69, and 44-year-old John Ng were both found guilty of conspiracy to commit transportation to engage in prostitution, and conspiracy to engage in money laundering, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Zbracki, from Lakeville, was sentenced to one year and a day in prison, three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution. Ng, from Cottage Grove, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, three years of supervised release and he was ordered to pay 75,000 in restitution.

"A total of 36 individuals who participated in this horrific commercial sex trafficking operation have now been held to account for their exploitative treatment of fellow human beings," said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. "Sex trafficking is a reprehensible crime and combatting it remains a priority for this office and for our law enforcement partners."

Court documents showed that the organization trafficked Thai women in cities such as Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Washington D.C.

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