Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Police: Two people suspected of running illegal brothel in Las Vegas

Heng Van Ho

Heng Van Ho

Yuxiang Tian

Yuxiang Tian

Two Las Vegas residents are suspected of running an illegal brothel out of a central valley house after nearly 200 men were seen entering and exiting the property in the weeks leading up to the pair's arrest, according to Metro Police.

Yuxiang Tian, 37, and Heng Van Ho, 52, were arrested Aug. 17 on counts of money laundering, pandering, running a brothel and living from the earnings of a prostitute, according to a Metro arrest report. They were booked at the Clark County Detention Center, police said.

Officers on June 30 were tipped off by a citizen that illegal activity may be occurring at a house in the 4700 block of Via San Rafael, near Flamingo Road and Decatur Boulevard, police said.

The citizen described vehicles and men who would frequent the house, leading officers to suspect the activity may be related to prostitution, according to the report. 

Later that day, the citizen called police again to notify them a suspicious pickup truck was leaving the property, the report said.

Officers stopped the truck, and the driver admitted he paid a woman $200 for sex while at the house, police said.

The man also said he saw an ad to set up an appointment with the woman on Craigslist, according to the report.

The case was handed over to vice detectives, and while conducting surveillance on the house July 1, officers observed several men enter and exit the house in less than an hour, police said. Between July 7 and July 21, police observed 196 men enter and exit the residence, each usually spending less than an hour inside before leaving, according to the report.

A records check on the home's address showed utilities in the name of a company owned by Ho, police said.

She was also seen entering the residence on several occasions as police surveilled the property, police said. Ho was often accompanied by Tian, and the two were seen doing household chores and bringing cleaning supplies, police said. 

Investigators also learned that Ho was the victim of a burglary in 2019, and the phone number she provided to Metro in that case was the same phone number in the Craigslist ads, according to the arrest report.

By July 21, officers undercover contacted the number listed on an online ad to solicit services and agreed to meet at the home, police said.

Police continued surveillance on the house until executing a search warrant on Aug. 17, according to the arrest report.

Shortly after the search, police arrested Ho and Tian at Ho's residence without incident, according to the report.

Ho and Tian have since posted bail and are due to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on Sept. 7, according to their online case summaries.