Federal Agents Say Woman Used WeChat Alias ‘Bella’ to Run Trafficking Operation From Boston-Area Brothels

An indictment against a woman from New York has been filed by a grand jury in Boston, accusing her of operating a large-scale international human sex trafficking ring from brothels located in Allston and Brighton.

Zengzeng Liu, a 40-year-old from Flushing, NY, also known as “Bella,” was indicted for one count of persuading another individual to travel across state lines to engage in prostitution and three counts of using interstate or foreign commerce facilities to promote racketeering enterprises. Liu was taken into custody in the Eastern District of New York, and she will make her first appearance in federal court in Boston on July 8 at 11 a.m.

According to the prosecution, Zengzeng Liu, a Chinese national and legal permanent resident of the United States, began operating her organization no later than August 2025. She allegedly recruited women who were mostly foreign nationals from Japan, Vietnam, China, and the Philippines to travel to the Greater Boston Area and perform commercial sex acts. Prosecutors claim that Liu determined when and where the women would be working, coordinated their appointments with buyers, collected the commission from their earnings, and utilized foreign national intermediaries to recruit more women. Moreover, she reportedly used fraud, deceit, and falsified documents to secure the apartments, which served as brothels.

According to the charges, Zengzeng Liu advertised the women on commercial sex websites and instructed buyers to call the phone number controlled by her. During undercover meetings,s she allegedly determined the prices for the services offered and informed buyers of the locations of brothels. She required buyers to pass through a certain vetting process,s providing her with their personal identification information, including photos of their work ID.

According to court papers, the victims claimed that they received instructions from a “female boss,” identified as “Bella,” via the WeChat application, who arranged their appointments but did not meet any of them personally. Victims claimed that they traveled to the Greater Boston area through New York, China, Canada, and the Philippines. The victims collected the payment from buyers but retained only a portion of it, while the remaining amount was allegedly picked up by couriers and transferred to Liu.

During the search of the Allston brothel, police recovered women from Japan who had recently arrived there and reported that they had performed sexual acts there for several days. The police found almost $35,000 in cash, condoms, lubricants, surveillance cameras, and cell phones. Surveillance videos reportedly showed numerous visits by suspects to the apartment over several weekends.

During the search of a Brighton brothel, police found women from Japan and Vietnam who reportedly worked there for several days and were not allowed to leave the apartment. One of the victims reported bruises on her knees, legs, and feet as a result of performing sexual acts for buyers. Almost $70,000 in cash was recovered from this brothel.

Moreover, the documents claim that Liu used a WIC nutrition benefits card to buy food while operating the enterprise.

Overall, almost $105,000 in cash was seized. According to the surveillance videos, financial documents, and other evidence, the enterprise generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds in the last 11 months.

The crime of persuading another individual to travel across state lines to engage in prostitution can lead to up to 20 years of imprisonment, five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Racketeering-related crimes carry up to 5 years’ imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine each. Sentencing depends on federal sentencing guidelines and federal law.

The announcement is made by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Ted E. Docks; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Geoffrey D. Noble. The investigation was conducted in cooperation with the FBI offices in New York and the New York Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Pohl and Brian A. Fogerty are prosecuting the case.

Those who were affected by the commercial sex trafficking or experienced it should contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

This is just an allegation, and Zengzeng Liu is considered to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.