A Chinese national residing in Los Angeles has pleaded guilty to kidnapping in a case tied to human smuggling. Ji Wang, aged 40, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Seattle. U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced the development following Wang's arrest on May 13, 2024, in Los Angeles.
Wang was implicated in the abduction and assault of an employee at a hot pot restaurant in Bellevue, Washington, on May 27, 2023. Sentencing is set for March 4, 2025, by U.S. District Judge James L. Robart.
Court records indicate that Wang was part of a group smuggling people across the southern border into the United States for a fee. The victim referred clients from China seeking such services and was tasked with collecting and transferring fees but failed to collect as much as expected by the smugglers.
In May, Wang and an accomplice forcibly removed the victim from his workplace and took him away in a sedan. They assaulted him severely before abandoning him at a service station with critical injuries requiring emergency surgery.
Prosecutors have agreed to recommend an eight-year prison sentence under the plea agreement terms; however, Judge Robart holds discretion over sentencing within legal limits—kidnapping carries a potential life sentence.
Wang faces possible deportation post-incarceration due to his unlawful presence in the country.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: Bellevue Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the U.S. Marshal’s Service Task Force.
Assistant United States Attorneys Todd Greenberg and Cecelia Gregson are handling prosecution duties for this case.