Brothel blackmail-accused men back in court

File photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Five men appeared in court today for allegedly blackmailing Auckland massage parlours and brothels into paying them "safety" money.

Lei Zheng, 24, Savaga Taii, 30, Chen Chen, 23, Filipe Mahe, 38, and Yi Fan Zhang, 17, appeared in Auckland District Court today, between them facing 30 charges of blackmail.

Three of the men, Zheng, Chen and Zhang, appeared before Judge Phil Gittos in Auckland District Court with a Mandarin interpreter.

They are understood to be students at an Auckland international school.

The men were initially charged with demanding with menace but this was replaced with the more serious charges of blackmail.

Blackmail carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in jail, said police.

They were remanded on bail to reappear in court on January 19 for a post-committal conference.

Police said the charges related to several incidents at massage parlours and brothels in Auckland between October 28 and November 3.

Proprietors and managers, mainly women, told police they had been intimidated into paying the accused hundreds of dollars to ensure the safety of their staff and premises.

Judge Gittos prohibited publication of images of the accused men.

- NZPA