Arkansas Authorities Crack Down on Human Trafficking with Chinese-American Business Owner's Arrest

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin recently announced the arrest of Zengguang "Gary" Liu, a Chinese-American man who ran three massage parlors in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Griffin, who has been addressing human trafficking in the state since October 2023, said the arrest marks a significant step in the state's efforts to combat human trafficking, a crime he described as a form of China's "gray zone warfare" against the United States. Griffin claimed that Liu was part of a larger human trafficking operation that brought victims from China to the United States for sex work.

Key Takeaways:

Zengguang "Gary" Liu, a Chinese-American man and naturalized U.S. citizen, is facing charges of human trafficking and unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate certain crimes.
Liu owned and operated three massage parlors in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and investigators believe he may have owned similar establishments in other parts of the country.
An investigation into Liu's businesses led authorities to seize over $16,000 in cash in multiple currencies and uncovered evidence of human trafficking, including testimony from three Chinese women who said they were recruited online to engage in illicit massage work.
August 2025 marks a significant milestone in Griffin's efforts to address human trafficking in Arkansas, which he has been working on since October 2023.
The arrest of Liu is seen as a major step in tracking down more offenders involved in the suspected broader human trafficking operation.
Griffin's office has worked with a $1.5 million grant to create the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council and a new webpage providing human trafficking victims with county-level resources, including a searchable county-by-county map.

Statistics:

Over $16,000 in cash was seized by authorities from Liu's massage parlors in multiple currencies, including American and Chinese dollars.
Three Chinese women testified to being recruited online to engage in illicit massage work, highlighting the role of online platforms in human trafficking.
Liu's businesses were raided as part of Operation Obscured Vision, a coordinated effort by Griffin's office to address human trafficking in massage parlors throughout Arkansas.
13 businesses have had search warrants issued, and 7 people have been arrested in connection with human trafficking operations, including 6 Chinese nationals and 3 naturalized U.S. citizens.

Sources:

Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate for the image of Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin.
Griffin's news release about the arrest of Zengguang "Gary" Liu.
https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-5/subtitle-2/chapter-18/section-5-18-103/ for the definition of human trafficking in Arkansas law.
https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/title-5/subtitle-6/chapter-74/subchapter-1/section-5-74-105/ for the definition of unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate certain crimes in Arkansas law.
Griffin's office news release on Operation Obscured Vision.
Arkansas Advocate article on the working group recommending human trafficking prevention and intervention tactics.
Griffin's news release on the inaugural Human Trafficking Summit.
Arkansas Legislature files:

- https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT484.pdf

- https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT366.pdf

- https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Home/FTPDocument?path=%2FACTS%2F2025R%2FPublic%2FACT316.pdf

Griffin's office news release on the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council.