A federal air marshal was arrested Tuesday on charges he played a role in a human trafficking ring that officials say worked out of a Flushing nightclub.

Byungki Koo, 33, of Fresh Meadows, surrendered to officials Tuesday after he was indicted on charges that he tried to obstruct the probe of a slavery operation that investigators believe was based out of the Renaissance Bar at 35-28 154th St.

The latest charges in the case are another indication that federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, who first indicted the Renaissance owners last year on assorted slavery and trafficking charges, are ramping up the probe.

Investigators with the Brooklyn U.S. attorney's office have been following leads back to South Korea through the banking system and in other parts of Queens as part of a growing probe of the nightclub scene catering to Asian immigrants, sources familiar with the case said.

The indictment unsealed Tuesday accused Koo of trying to kidnap a woman. He was charged with obstructing enforcement of the federal peonage law, which covers the use of forced labor to pay off debts. Koo was believed to be working as an air marshal when he allegedly committed the crime, a source said.

At Koo's arraignment Tuesday, his attorney entered a not guilty plea for him. Magistrate-Judge Joan Azrack ordered Koo temporarily held until Koo can come up with an acceptable bail proposal.

Koo faces at least 20 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.

(emphasis mine).

NEW YORK -- An air marshal helped the suspects in a human trafficking case try to kidnap one of their victims to stop her from testifying against them, federal prosecutors charged Tuesday.

Byungki Koo became the second federal law enforcer charged with helping Kyongja and Wun Hee Kang try to evade charges that they lured two young women from Korea to work as hostesses at their bar in Queens. The women say they were physically and sexually assaulted after they refused to have sex with customers.

The Kangs were charged last year with crimes that include violating forced-labor laws by confiscating the women's passports and forcing them to work for free to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in travel expenses.

Customs and Border Protection marine inspector Nisim Yushuvayev was charged with obstructing the investigation by trying to take one victim to John F. Kennedy International Airport against her will and send her back to Korea.

Koo pleaded not guilty Tuesday to conspiracy and obstruction charges that Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Freedman said stemmed from his involvement in the deportation plot. He was ordered held without bail.

Defense attorney Denis McAllister said Koo, who knew Yushuvayev from work, served only as an interpreter for the Kangs in their conversations with Yushuvayev.

Koo could face as much as 20 years in prison if convicted. He was placed on immediate administrative leave with pay, a Department of Homeland Security spokesman said.

An attorney for Wun Hee Kang said last year the case resulted from a cultural misunderstanding of a business arrangement common in Korea.

(emphasis mine).