Bloomington Police Uncover Organized Sex Trafficking Scheme

Aug 28

At least three people are facing felony charges in Hennepin County after Bloomington police uncovered what they describe as a large-scale sex trafficking operation.

Authorities allege the group cycled women through apartments and hotels, charged clients $400 per hour, and funneled profits to organizers in multiple states.

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According to newly filed criminal complaints, 29-year-old Yewon Koo of Lewisville, Texas, 32-year-old Douglas Adam Tran of Roseville, and 43-year-old Hyesun Kim of Lewisville, Texas, each face six counts of promoting prostitution and receiving profits from prostitution. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $40,000 fine.

The investigation began in October 2024 when Bloomington police received reports of suspicious activity at an apartment on West 80½ Street. Management told officers that groups of men were buzzed into the unit every 30 to 60 minutes, staying briefly before leaving. Investigators later linked the apartment’s entry phone number to an online site advertising women for sex. Surveillance showed repeated customer traffic, and one man admitted to paying for sex after being stopped by officers.

By late May 2025, undercover officers arranged a meeting through the site and were directed to the same Bloomington apartment. Inside, they found two women who said they were required to hand over $130 from every $400 client fee to a “booker” identified as Koo, who went by the name “Maple.” The women told police they had been picked up at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by a man driving a white Tesla. He was later identified as Tran, who also collected the cash every few days. One of the women estimated she was forced to see about 10 men every day or two, sometimes even when she was sick or outside her stated working hours.

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Police documented video evidence showing Tran repeatedly picking women up from the airport and transporting them to apartments. In June, officers learned the West 80½ Street apartment was being vacated. Tran and Koo were seen moving furniture into a storage unit rented under a false name, and the operation soon resumed at a new apartment on 33rd Avenue South in Bloomington. Surveillance there showed at least three women being rotated through, with customers again confirming they paid $400 per visit.

Search warrants executed in August turned up more than $23,000 in cash from one apartment, $3,100 from a hotel room rented under another false identity, $16,000 in Koo’s purse, and $52,000 from the storage unit. Officers also seized ledgers, multiple cell phones, and identification cards in aliases. When arrested, Koo was carrying several phones and a New York ID in another name. Kim, described by Tran as his boss in the operation, was arrested at the storage unit after traveling from Texas. Investigators say she directed the movement of women, arranged housing, and had received as much as $125,000 in deposits from Tran over two years.

Prosecutors argue that all three played key roles: Kim as the organizer, Koo as the booker who scheduled clients and collected a share of fees, and Tran as the driver who transported women, handled supplies, and gathered money. Authorities say at least six women were identified as victims of the scheme.

Koo and Kim are being held on $200,000 bail each, while Tran’s bail is set at $150,000. Koo and Kim are currently in federal custody on immigration related holds and are considered flight risks.

Authorities say the investigation is ongoing.

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