SAN JOSE – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – United States Attorney Kevin V. Ryan announced that Frank Chih-Tsung Shih of Milpitas, California, was sentenced to six months in prison and three years of supervised release today for furthering a prostitution enterprise, laundering illegal prostitution proceeds to Taiwan, and harboring an illegal alien involved in his prostitution business. Mr. Shih is scheduled to begin serving his sentence on March 31, 2006.
This case is the result of a collaborative effort in the last two years between the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Milpitas Police Department, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department.
On February 9, 2005, Mr. Shih pleaded guilty to violating one count of transportation in aid of a racketeering enterprise in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1952, one count of money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956, and one count of alien harboring, in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1324. In pleading guilty, Mr. Shih admitted to conspiring with others to operate a prostitution ring in the cities of San Jose, Milpitas, and Cupertino, California. He also admitted to laundering illegal prostitution proceeds to Taiwan and to harboring an illegal alien involved in the illegal sex trade. Mr. Shih forfeited $633,000 in illegal prostitution proceeds seized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from his bank and investment accounts.
For the past two years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California has been working in partnership with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office to fight crime more effectively in the South Bay area. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, San Jose Office, has played an integral role in this partnership. This case is a result of this successful partnership.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella, who is Chief of the San Jose Branch Office, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Scott Tsui, a Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney cross-designated to prosecute federal crimes, worked closely on this investigation with special agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, San Jose Office, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and detectives from the Milpitas Police Department. This investigation is ongoing.
