ROCKLAND, Maine — A Chinese national who is charged with running a prostitution operation in the city is set to go to trial next month.
Justice Jeffrey Hjelm said jury selection is scheduled for Sept. 9 and the expected three-day trial would be held either Sept. 21-23 or Sept. 28-30 for Tian Tao.
Rockland police arrested Tian in February 2025 on a misdemeanor charge of sex trafficking. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement then took custody of Tian and said he would be deported.
Tian, 55, had been living in Flushing, New York, but also listed a residence in Gardiner, Maine.
He is being held in an ICE detention center in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Justice Hjelm said he would issue a writ for Tian to be brought to the state court in Knox County for the jury selection and trial. Hjelm said he is not sure how ICE will respond to the writ from a state court.
Tian, who came into the United States legally in 2016 from China, has pleaded not guilty to the Class D state offense. He is represented by attorney Andrew Emerson of Lewiston.
Rockland police said during their investigation of the Asian Massage business at 193 Park St., they found suspected ties between the Rockland establishment and organized crime and human trafficking out of New York.
Eleven local men were charged with engaging a person for prostitution. In Maine, that is a Class E crime that carries a maximum sentence, if convicted, of six months in jail, although the maximum is rarely imposed.
Eight of those other cases were dismissed after the men each agreed to make a $350 donation to the organization Just Love Worldwide, and after they completed a one-hour online course on human trafficking awareness and prevention training through American Health Training. According to its website, Just Love Worldwide is a “survivor-led nonprofit organization that works to end exploitation and sex trafficking by extending a helping hand to survivors, educating communities, and advocating for stronger legal protections.”
Cases against two others were dismissed outright when the key witness could not be located. The final defendant has a dispositional conference scheduled for October.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.