A woman is caught providing sex service to a man in a hotel in this screenshot of an STV news footage.

Three men who organized prostitution services involving more than 10 foreign women in Shanghai received prison sentences ranging from nine months to seven years, the Huangpu District People's Court said yesterday.

They were held when police caught a foreign prostitute with a Chinese client at a hotel on Wuchang Road last year. The woman named one of the suspects, surnamed Wang, to police.

The court said Wang, got to know several foreign prostitutes in 2012 and became a pimp. He posted the sex service online to attract clients and rented a room in the hotel on Wuchang Road.

The court heard that Wang had photographs of foreign prostitutes, mostly students, in his cellphone. He sent these to clients to choose.

Between last August and November, Wang arranged 15 sessions and took half of the fees, the court said.

The other two suspects were the boss of a foot massage parlor who called the service for clients and a man who got the service for a client. They took service fees.

According court records, the prostitutes charged around 2,500 yuan (US$403). Wang earned 11,750 yuan while the others earned 4,300 yuan from the business.

Wang received a seven- year sentence, while the foot massage parlor boss got five years and the third man was jailed for nine months.

The prostitutes were given administrative detentions, the court said. No more details about them were released. One was a 29-year-old Russian, according to a Shanghai Television report.