Three Women, Trafficked to Dallas, Sue Their Former Captor from Coppell

In October 2006, Sung Bum Chang of Coppell was sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison after he pleaded guilty to one count of forced labor and one count of conspiracy to commit forced labor -- meaning, he was a human trafficker and a slave master. So too was his wife, Hyang Kyung Chang, who pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. According to the Department of Justice, Sung Chang, himself Korean-American, had a network that lured women to the U.S. "with promises of good jobs," but as soon as they landed he stole their passports and put them to work at his Club Wa on Walnut Hill Lane, where he "required the women to work six nights a week drinking with customers, often until they became sick or passed out." The Changs also imprisoned the women in the top floor of their Coppell home; there are now other allegations as well. Said one Immigration and Customs Enforcement official in 2006, "The Changs ... have shown that human slavery is an ugly crime not just relegated to the pages of history."

Courtesy Courthouse News Services we learn that last week, three of the women forced into slavery have sued the Changs in Dallas federal court. In their complaint, the women -- who've requested anonymity, fearing retaliation and humiliation -- recount months spent in captivity, and they detail the abuse endured (physical and emotional) following their arrival in Dallas. Their complaint, in its entirety, follows after the jump. --Robert Wilonsky

Club Wa Lawsuit