Vic woman 'running global sex syndicate' A crime syndicate brought vulnerable sex workers to Australia under false documents and is illegally managing their work at four Melbourne brothels, a court has been told. Mae Ja Kim, 38, is accused of leading a syndicate that illegally managed 100 sex workers, taking more than 40 per cent of their earnings through a complex system of overseers. She has been charged with dealing in the proceeds of crime and living on the earnings of sex workers. Australian Federal Police (AFP) Detective James Cheshire said the syndicate had lured women from South-East Asia to work in Melbourne, and brought them to Australia with false documents. He told Kim's bail hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday that the sex workers were totally reliant on the syndicate. "They are very much in a level of fear of what would happen to them if they were to come forward and speak to police," he said. Under cross examination, he conceded that the majority of the women were permitted to work in Australia. Ms Kim's estranged husband, Huan Wen Ye, 32, of Donvale, and her sister Moon Ja Kim, 56, of Southbank, have been charged with aiding and abetting the proceeds of crime and living on the earnings of sex workers. Moon Ja Kim's son Xing Jin, 31, and family friend Zhe Fang, 25, have also been charged with the same offences. Police say the scheme has netted the syndicate more than $500,000 in the past five months. Det Cheshire told the court that Ye used 18 different aliases to manage 27 properties to house the sex workers. He said that the brothels, one of which is licensed in Fang's name, were being controlled by Kim's syndicate. "We say that Mae Ja Kim has effective control of those workers," Det Cheshire said. You cannot work there unless you are part of this syndicate. Police this week seized more than $1 million in connection with the investigation, including four apartments, three luxury cars, $50,000 in cash, and high-end items, such as designer shoes and handbags. They say further charges are possible. Jin has been released on bail, but he is seeking to have his conditions changed. The bail hearing for the four co-accused continues before Magistrate Rose Falla.