Maryland Man Pleads Guilty To Harboring South Korean Women

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Youn Sok Chang, also known as “Michael Chang,” 35, of Gambrills, Md., pleaded guilty yesterday to Conspiracy to Commit Alien Harboring.  Chang, who is originally from South Korea, was the owner and operator of a “doumi” business that provided female escorts to customers at nightclubs in Annandale, Virginia.

            Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and John P. Torres, Special Agent in Charge for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Washington, D.C, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge T. S. Ellis, III. 

            Chang faces a maximum penalty of ten years of imprisonment when he is sentenced on July 26, 2013.  Chang also agreed to forfeit $144,000.

            In a statement of facts filed with his plea agreement, Chang admitted that since at least December 2010, he has operated a doumi business that provided female companionship to men in Annandale, Virginia.   Chang’s doumi business was known at various times as “Da Bong,” “Coco,” and “Romance.”  Chang hired illegal aliens from South Korea to work as “doumis,” and he housed these women in an apartment he had rented in Virginia. Various nightclubs in Annandale and Centreville would call Chang and order women for customers.  Chang would then transport the women to the various clubs.  Generally customers were charged $70 per hour to converse, dance, or sing with the women.

            Chang also admitted that he and co-conspirators recruited women from South Korea to serve as doumis and he transported some of the women from Georgia and New York to Virginia.  Chang promised one woman he sought to recruit that she could earn $6,000 per month working for Chang.  Chang and his coconspirators admitted to harboring at least 27 illegal aliens.  One of Chang’s co-conspirators, Taeson Won, previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Alien Harboring and was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison for his role in the offense.

            This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Frank is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.