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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Woman Accuses ‘Child Sex Tourist’ and U.S. Business of Gross Abuses

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) - A child-sex tourist raped a 15-year-old Laotian girl and made her pregnant, threatened to kill her parents, and took the girl's daughter away to force the teen to keep having sex with him in the United States, the girl, now a woman, claims in court.

P.V. sued Thiawachu Prataya, Chong Neng Xiong, Xiong's business Asian National Temporary Employment Services aka Asian National Temporary, and its affiliates, in Federal Court.

Prataya, of Minneapolis, has at least two aliases, Winston Yang and Doua Pau Yang, according to the complaint.

P.V., now 20, claims Prataya met her through Xiong's Minneapolis-based company, which arranged meetings between clients and underage girls for sex.

She says she was 15 when Prataya raped her in Laos in 2006, making her pregnant.

P.V. later moved to the United States with the help of her father, who was granted asylum.

After Prataya, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Laos, brought the daughter he had with P.V. to the United States, he continued to sexually coerce P.V., who wanted to be close to her daughter, according to the complaint.

"Child sex trafficking and child sex tourism are a global phenomenon and an egregious human rights violation," the complaint states.

"Child sex traffickers, child sex tourists and child sex tourism supporters prey on the most vulnerable members of society, including people living in abject poverty and children. They often trick, coerce or win the confidence of their victims or their families through false promises of a better life. Victims are often lured with false promises, only to find themselves trapped in brutal or dangerous conditions. ...

"Child sex traffickers, child sex tourists, and supporters of these enterprises are supporting transnational criminal enterprises that generate billions of dollars each year. ... (The International Labor Organization estimates that annual profits generated from trafficking in human beings are as high as 32 billion USD).

"To combat trafficking, the United States enacted the Trafficking Victim Protection Act in year 2000, along with 116 other nations as part of United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons. To combat sex tourism and support of sex tourism, the United States enacted the Protect Act and Masha's Law." (Parentheses in complaint; citations omitted).

P.V. claims Xiong hired agents in Laos to recruit attractive girls for customers in the United States.

The agents recruited her when she was 15, and arranged for her and another girl to meet Prataya and Xiong in Laos, according to the complaint.

P.V. claims Prataya raped her, and paid her family, which was poor, "modest amounts of money and other valuables."

She claims Prataya returned to Laos several times, with Xiong's help, and continued to have sex with her and other minor girls.

"Defendant Prataya forcibly sexually assaulted plaintiff when she was fifteen years old in Laos in 2006 and continued to forcibly sexually assault plaintiff in Laos and United States," the complaint states.

"Defendant Prataya was over forty years old when he began to commit the child sex tourism, support of child sex tourism and child sex trafficking against plaintiff. He was a United States citizen and was legally married to a woman in the United States. Defendant Prataya had been convicted of criminal sexual assaults in Minnesota prior to going to Laos to commit the child sex tourism, support of child sex tourism and child sex trafficking. Defendant Prataya did not inform plaintiff that he was married until after he first committed the child sex tourism and child sex trafficking. Then, defendant Prataya and defendant Xiong returned to the United States. Defendant Prataya and defendant Xiong used their United States passports to go from the United States and to return from Laos; defendant Prataya continued to use his United States passport to travel back and forth between Laos and the United States to continue to engage in child sex tourism, and child sex trafficking against plaintiff and, on information and belief, with other minor girls.

"As a result of the child sex tourism, support of child sex tourism and sex trafficking, plaintiff became pregnant at age 15 and gave birth to a daughter on Feb. 6, 2007 in a hospital in Laos. Defendant Prataya signed official documents stating that he is the father of the daughter of plaintiff, that plaintiff was the mother of the daughter of plaintiff, that plaintiff's birth date is Aug. 8, 1991 and that she gave birth to her daughter at age 16 after defendant Prataya had had sexual contact with plaintiff in Laos. A Minnesota District Court found that defendant Prataya is the father of the daughter of plaintiff in part on the basis of those documents and statements.

"Defendant Prataya returned to Laos several times, while plaintiff was in Laos, during which times he had his pictures taken with many young girls, who were fully clothed but which he on information and belief intended to use to advertise the support of child sex tourism services offered by defendant Xiong, individually and dba defendant Asian National Temporary and defendant DEF Companies and Corporations.

"Defendant Prataya informed plaintiff that as a United States citizen he was able to and intended to bring plaintiff's daughter to the United States.

"After plaintiff gave birth to her daughter, plaintiff's father, who had previously come to the United States as an asylee, was able to bring his family including plaintiff to the United States under legal visas. Plaintiff agreed to come to the United States because defendant Prataya said he was going to bring plaintiff's daughter to the United States and plaintiff wanted to care for and protect her daughter from defendant Prataya. Defendant Prataya brought the plaintiff's daughter to the United States on a visa.

"When plaintiff came to the United States, defendant Prataya allowed plaintiff to care for her daughter but threatened to take plaintiff's daughter from plaintiff in order to coerce plaintiff to have forced sexual relations with him in the State of Minnesota. Defendant Prataya also took plaintiff's documents and her daughter's documents and threatened to deport plaintiff if she did not continue to have forced sexual relations with him. Defendant Prataya also assaulted and strangled plaintiff and threatened to kill plaintiff's parents, all in front of plaintiff's daughter, in order to create an atmosphere of fear for plaintiff that forced plaintiff to continue to have forced sexual relations with defendant Prataya. When plaintiff refused to continue to have forced sexual relations with defendant Prataya, defendant Prataya took plaintiff's daughter from plaintiff."

P.V. seeks damages for violations of child sex tourism and child sex trafficking laws.

She is represented by Linda Miller of St. Paul.

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