The pair of San Francisco sisters who are accused of running a San Francisco sex-trafficking ring pleaded not guilty to 16 felonies in court this week, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Qiao "Judy" He, 37, and her sister Gaineng He, 36, were charged with seven counts of pimping, seven counts of pandering, one count of conspiracy to pimp and one count of conspiracy to pander.
Judge Tracie Brown chose not to raise bail over the objection of prosecutors, however she did agree to place the sisters on ankle monitors to restrict their travel. The women were released on $50,000 bail.
"It was indicated in court that neither had a known criminal history," said Alex Bastian, a spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office.
The sisters were arrested June 9 following an investigation that had been going on since January when officials heard that sex trafficking was allegedly happening in the city's Richmond and Sunset districts.
Investigators discovered "Johns" allegedly paid as much as $200 to have sex with young Asian women at the brothels.
According to the Attorney General's Office, the sisters repeatedly told undercover agents that "new girls" were brought in every Sunday.
On May 7, agents with the California Department of Justice, Homeland Security, and San Francisco police executed search warrants on four San Francisco locations, including 385 7th Avenue, 4719 Geary Boulevard #601, 2094 24th Avenue, and 1511 24th Avenue.
The sisters' next court appearances are scheduled for August 7.
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