Melbourne sex worker ring leads to jail

The boss of a Melbourne prostitution racket lived a lavish lifestyle while forcing her foreign sex worker recruits to perform as often as possible.

Mae Ja Kim is now behind bars and three of her associates have also been jailed over the sophisticated money laundering scheme, which ran for about five months in 2013.

Kim, 41, recruited women from Southeast Asia and brought them to Melbourne with the promise of good pay and conditions, the County Court of Victoria heard on Friday.

She was not licensed to operate a sex worker business or take any of the earnings.

The prostitutes worked in four licensed brothels in inner Melbourne, some vulnerable due to debts owed to Kim because she organised their flights to Australia.

Unlicensed "overseers" were appointed to supervise the sex workers.

Telephone intercepts revealed Kim discussing how to maximise work the women did, and imposing fines or sacking those who underperformed.

She was using 12 phones in false names at the time police were investigating.

"This was an elaborate and sophisticated scheme," Judge Gavan Meredith said while sentencing the group, also telling Kim there was evidence of her lavish lifestyle at the time.

The court has previously heard Kim lived in a Southbank apartment, visited a beauty parlour up to four times a week and dined out in sessions that could cost about $2000 in one sitting.

Her co-offender sister, Moonja Kim, 58, and Mae Ja Kim's estranged husband, Huan Ye, 34, and associate Zhe Fang, 27, have also been jailed after they pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting dealings with the proceeds of crime.

They helped her run day-to-day operations involving the sex workers, including collecting earnings and organising rosters.

All four will be released on a two-year, $5000 recognisance after they have served about two years in jail.

Mae Ja Kim's minimum jail term was the longest at two-and-a-half years, but she has already served more than 500 days behind bars in pre-sentence custody.

Judge Meredith said the group had shown some degree of remorse and had reasonable prospects of rehabilitation.

Mae Ja Kim pleaded guilty to one count of dealing with the proceeds of crime, in excess of $50,000.