Nguyễn Hữu Thái, 26, has been arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison for prostitution brokerage and distributing obscene materials. — Photo courtesy of the police

HCM CITY — A 26-year-old Vietnamese man has been sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison for prostitution brokerage and distributing obscene materials.

The HCM City People’s Court on Monday sentenced Nguyễn Hữu Thái to 12 years in prison for prostitution brokerage and three years for distributing obscene materials.

According to police, Thái operated seven private groups with 66,000 members on social media, where he recruited singers, actors, and students for prostitution, earning some VNĐ15 billion (US$577,000).

He also posted suggestive images and details of prostitutes in these groups, facilitating transactions that ranged from VNĐ5-15 million.

His activities were discovered during a police raid on January 17 at a hotel in District 1, where two couples were caught engaging in prostitution.

Upon his arrest on the same day, and police seized cash and froze VNĐ8.5 billion from his bank account.

In court, Thai admitted to all charges, revealing that he had brokered thousands of prostitution transactions, including for two minors.

He expressed regret and requested a reduced sentence.

The court noted the seriousness of his actions and the need for strict punishment, while also separating charges related to the minors for further investigation.

In Việt Nam, prostitution is illegal and violations, especially involving minors, are strictly punished. — VNS