A Crystal man was sentenced Thursday to two years probation and 90 days of home confinement for his role in a prostitution ring that flew Asian women to Minnesota to work in the Twin Cities area.

Craig J. Kraft, 59, pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States. A second man, Liqing Liu, 41, of St. Paul, also pleaded guilty in May.

In August 2007, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers received an anonymous letter that said Chinese prostitutes worked in a brothel here for two or three weeks before being moved out of Minnesota. Investigators say Liu ran the brothel out of a string of addresses, including several Minneapolis homes, motels in Bloomington, Golden Valley, Plymouth and Minneapolis, and an office in St. Louis Park.

According to investigators, Kraft helped Liu book airline tickets for the women. Liu is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

JAMES WALSH