The Latest:
A judge has sentenced nail salon owner Thuy Luong, 38, to 15 years in prison after convicting Luong of forced labor following a five-day trial.
Luong will also serve two years of supervised release and must pay $75,000 in restitution to the victim, according to a news release.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Luong compelled the victim’s labor for almost two years through a variety of coercive means.
Authorities say Luong physically, emotionally and verbally punished the victim when she disobeyed her or otherwise failed to perform the required labor to her satisfaction.
Original Story (1/8/21):
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office say Thuy Luong, 37, of Charlotte was found guilty of forced labor after finding Luong had compelled one of her nail technicians to continue working for her at her nail salon in Davidson, North Carolina through violence and threats.
“Through the infliction of mental and physical abuse, Luong despicably preyed upon the victim’s hardships and personal vulnerabilities for her own selfish financial gains,” said U.S.
Attorney Andrew Murray. “Forced labor schemes are an assault on human dignity and have no place in modern society. My office remains committed to combatting all forms of human trafficking and prosecuting perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.”
Officials say after her conviction in a five-day trail, Luong was taken into federal custody until her sentencing date where she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and must pay mandatory restitution to the victim.
Evidence at the trail showed Luong compelled an employee to work from October 2016 to June 2018 by physically assaulting them, threatening to ruin their reputation, and falsely claiming the victim was in debt to her, according to a news release.
Investigators say Luong pulled the victim’s hair out, stabbed her with nail salon tools, and poured acetone on her head.
Luong also threatened to ruin the victim’s reputation by saying she would tell information to the victim’s family members that would negatively impact the victim’s relationship with her family, according to a news release.
Detectives say Luong claimed the victim owed her a debt of $180,000, after falsely alleging the victim’s poor work performance caused Luong to lose this amount of money. Luong even created a debt contract and threatened the victim that she would send her to jail if the victim did not pay back the full amount, court officials say.
The victim claims Luong’s coercion caused her to be fearful and continue to work for Luong until a violent assault led the victim to report Luong to the Davidson Police Department and to Luong’s subsequent arrest in June 2018.
“Davidson police officers and investigators took immediate action when this horrific crime was reported by the brave victim,” said Chief Penny L. Dunn of the Davidson Police
Department. “We are extremely grateful for the quick response of Special Agents of Homeland Security and for the pursuit of justice for victims by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The case is an example of how domestic trafficking can and does happen anywhere in our nation.”
Luong’s case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Davidson Police Department and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
“Traffickers treat human beings as commodities, and this case is no exception. They use force, fraud or coercion to prey on people’s vulnerabilities,” said Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI) Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Ronnie Martinez. “HSI special agents will continue to focus their efforts on eradicating this heinous crime; no one should be subject to human trafficking.”
