WARREN, Ohio – A 65-year-old Texas woman has pleaded guilty to felony charges for her role in a major Mahoning Valley human trafficking operation that utilized Northeast Ohio massage parlors as fronts for prostitution. Suk Hui Starr, of Fort Worth, admitted to three counts of attempted money laundering and one count of possessing criminal tools in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court. As part of her plea agreement, Starr will forfeit $200,000 in assets linked to the criminal enterprise.
What Is the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Investigation?
The Mahoning Valley human trafficking investigation, known as “Operation Saving Daylight,” was a coordinated crackdown led by the Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Organized Crime Investigations Commission. In March 2023, authorities executed search warrants at the Tiger Spa and Sunny Spa in Warren, Ohio. Investigators discovered a ring that confined women to the premises, forcing them to live on-site and perform sex acts for money.
How Was Property Owner Suk Hui Starr Involved?
While Starr was not directly involved in the physical trafficking of victims, she owned the property where the illicit activity occurred. Prosecutors established that she collected rent payments from the traffickers while knowing that illegal sexual activity was taking place on her property. By continuing to accept these payments, she facilitated the Mahoning Valley human trafficking ring’s financial structure, leading to her guilty plea for money laundering and the forfeiture of $200,000.
What Are the Results of Operation Saving Daylight?
Starr is the ninth defendant to plead guilty in this case, following eight other defendants who entered pleas in February. Those individuals—hailing from Georgia, Michigan, and New Jersey—were forced to forfeit over $676,500 collectively. Currently, a case against one remaining defendant, Kum Cha Shugars, is still pending. The prosecution is being handled by the Special Prosecutions Section of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.