DALLAS — A federal judge sentenced a man to 14 years in prison for laundering money from sex trafficking, authorities said.
Chief U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater sentenced Duc Luu, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Vietnam, to prison for laundering money from sex trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas.
Fitzwater pointed out the horrific nature of the crime and added that he was incapable of capturing its heinousness in words. Fitzwater also ordered Luu to pay $16,766 in restitution to the victim, Saldana said.
“Even a harsh prison sentence seems inconsequential compared to the horrors visited on the victim in this case,” said Special Agent in Charge David Marwell of Homeland Security Investigations in Dallas. “Nonetheless this is a stern warning to criminals who flee justice that Homeland Security Investigations will continue to use our unique authorities and international partnerships to bring criminals to justice, no matter how far they run or in what country they hide.”
The victim testified at the sentencing hearing regarding the depraved acts of the defendant in recruiting, grooming, manipulating, exploiting and subjecting her to a fraud of the most serious nature.
Luu, 50, was indicted in August 2011, while he was living in Vietnam, on one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and two counts of money laundering.
According to court documents, Luu travelled to Vietnam on his U.S. passport, but shortly after his indictment, the U.S. initiated efforts to arrest and extradite him.
Ultimately, the U.S. Department of State revoked Luu’s passport and Vietnam expelled him. Luu was then arrested and returned to Texas, officials said.
Luu plead guilty in August 2013 to two counts of money laundering.
According to court documents, in October 2008, Luu caused $12,000 to be wire-transferred from a bank in Texas to a bank in Vietnam, knowing that the funds had been derived from sex trafficking.
Again, in July 2009, Luu caused $26,000 to be wire-transferred from a bank in Texas to the same bank in Vietnam.