Trafficking probe targets Ohio nail salons

August 20, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associate Press

COLUMBUS

Human trafficking of immigrant nail-salon workers has drawn the attention of federal and state investigators, and indictments are expected in coming months, a state regulator said.

The problem involves salons with fraudulent licenses and women largely from Southeast Asia sometimes possessing licenses from several states, said Kevin Miller, executive director of the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology.

In one case, the agency identified 16 people listed as licensed manicurists supposedly living at the same address. The immigrants, including residents of Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, are offered help getting to the U.S. and are then forced to work as “indentured servants” in Ohio salons, Miller said.

The issue also raises health concerns because women working with fake licenses may lack the proper training, Miller said.

The trafficking also jeopardizes national security, according to Miller’s report, which mentioned a recent case from New York involving a plot to bomb subways using chemicals in nail and hair products.

“Every state needs to embrace the concept that the illegal and fraudulent practices discussed in this paper have been, and are currently, in motion in every state,” Miller’s report said.

Ohio has about 1,100 licensed nail salons.