Key facts
- Jing Emtage, 54, is the third Singaporean added to the US 'worst of the worst criminal aliens' list.
- She was convicted of promoting prostitution across multiple Washington state massage parlors.
- Emtage was sentenced to two years and two months in prison on July 25, 2025.
- Her husband, Gerald Emtage, received 38 months for promoting prostitution and a concurrent 12-month sentence for money laundering.
- Authorities rescued 23 women trafficked and forced into sexual services during the investigation.
- The 'worst of the worst criminal aliens' list was launched in December 2025.
Jing Emtage, a 54-year-old Singaporean, has been added to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s list of “worst of the worst criminal aliens,” becoming the third citizen from the city-state to appear on the register. The list catalogues "criminal illegal aliens" who have been arrested since the beginning of U.S. President Donald Trump's second term.
Emtage was arrested in May 2023 with her husband, Gerald Emtage, following an investigation that began in 2021. She was convicted of operating a prostitution ring disguised as legitimate massage parlors. During the two-year operation, law enforcement shut down nine massage parlors belonging to the couple and rescued 23 women who had been trafficked and forced to provide sexual services.
On July 25, 2025, Jing Emtage was sentenced to two years and two months in prison on seven counts of promoting prostitution in the second degree. Her husband, Gerald Emtage, 49, was sentenced to 38 months in jail for promoting prostitution and a concurrent 12-month sentence for money laundering. The couple also reportedly made significant profits from their illicit activities, living in a home costing over US$1 million and having more than US$600,000 in cash at the time of their arrest, with no records of paying wages to their victims.
Emtage is currently being held at the Northwest Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center in Washington and is awaiting deportation proceedings. Amos Yee was the first Singaporean added to the list when it was launched in December 2025, after serving a jail term for child pornography and sexual grooming. Lim Seok Pheng was the second, added in February 2026 for suspected money laundering.