The criminal charge against a Chinese national who was charged with running a prostitution operation in the city has been dismissed.
The trial of 55-year-old Tian Tao had been scheduled to be held later this month.
District Attorney Natasha Irving said the dismissal was because the defendant is in federal custody and will be deported. The dismissal also stated insufficient evidence as a reason for the dismissal.
Rockland Police arrested Tian in February 2025 on a misdemeanor charge of sex trafficking. Tian, 55, has been held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since February 2025.
Tian had been living in Flushing, New York, but also listed a Gardiner residence. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took custody of Tian and said he would be deported.
He is being held in an ICE detention center in Central Falls, Rhode Island.
Tian had pleaded not guilty to the Class D state offense.
Tian came into the United States legally in 2016 from China.
Rockland Police said during their investigation of the Asian Massage business at 193 Park St., they found suspected ties between the Asian Massage establishment in Rockland and organized crime and human trafficking in New York.
Eleven local men were charged with engaging a person for prostitution. In Maine, that is a Class E crime that carried 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.”
The case against another defendant was dismissed without costs after he agreed in February 2026 to complete a one-hour online human trafficking and awareness training through American Health Training.
The case against 70-year-old Mark Strong of Thomaston was dismissed outright last year when the key witness could not be located.
The final defendant charged with engaging a person for prostitution — Joseph Cady, 50, of Palermo — has a dispositional conference set for October. He has pleaded not guilty.
This story appears through a media partnership with Midcoast Villager.