4 arrested in sex sting at Chesterfield massage businesses - Richmond Times-Dispatch

[massage]

Chesterfield County police on Wednesday announced four additional arrests and charges in an ongoing investigation into sexually illicit massage businesses authorities say are linked to a Chinese criminal organization that uses slave labor.


Nine people — eight of whom came from Flushing, New York — now have been charged in connection with the probe since it was announced in late February. And the problem is not limited to Chesterfield, Lt. Edward Pierpont told the Richmond Times-Dispatch; it is tied to a broader commercial human trafficking ring along the East Coast.


“It’s a national problem,” Pierpont said. “It’s happening in Henrico (County), ... and in Richmond.”

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The latest arrests in Chesterfield came Monday, when officers conducted undercover operations at Massage for You, located at 1710 East Hundred Road, and International Spa, located at 247 East Hundred Road. A masseuse at each location offered to perform illicit sexual acts for additional pay, police said.


Yujuan Zhang, left, and Huayan Zhang

PROVIDED

Officers arrested Huayan Zhang, 44, and Quiyan Zhang, 42, at Massage for You; and Yujuan Zhang, 41, and Qiuhong Yan, 58, at International Spa. All four women are from Flushing, New York, according to police.


Huayan and Quiyan Zhang are sisters, police said, and currently live in Chester. Quiyan Zhang is the owner of Massage for You.


Huayan Zhang has been charged with prostitution, keeping or residing in a bawdy place and performing a massage without proper permitting, according to court records. She is next scheduled to appear in court on June 25.


Quiyan Zhang has been charged with keeping or residing in a bawdy place and permitting massages without proper permitting. Her next court date could not immediately be determined.


Yujuan Zhang has been charged with prostitution and keeping or residing in a bawdy place. She is next scheduled to appear in court on Monday.


Qiuhong Yan has been charged with performing a massage without proper permitting. She is next scheduled to appear in court on Monday.


Massage parlors are not the only businesses involved, Pierpont said. The victims who travel to the U.S. also end up in other industries, such as food service. Pierpont could not say how many trafficking victims are believed to be working at Chesterfield businesses.


Pierpont said the victims are often hesitant to come forward due to fear of retribution. Another complicating factor is that many of the victims are shuttled from place to place, making it difficult to track them, he said. They will stay in one place for a few days or weeks before being taken to another location.


“Virginia today, New York tomorrow, maybe North Carolina next week,” Pierpont said.


He added that Chesterfield police have been careful to share details related to the investigation with the public in order to protect residents from sexual assault or harassment, and to signal to the suspects that “they will be arrested if they continue.” The FBI and Virginia State Police are assisting in the effort, he said.


Chesterfield Police Capt. Richard McCullough previously told The Times-Dispatch that the illicit sexual services offered at the businesses could be related to human trafficking, adding that the fact that many of the suspects came from Flushing is “not a coincidence.”


Flushing appears to be a “common nexus,” McCullough said, where people will arrive from outside the country, perhaps obtain a massage therapy license and be transported by a courier from New York to Virginia.


McCullough said that, in some cases, the individuals involved report that “they don’t want to be there, they’re not allowed to leave (and) they’re being forced to perform these acts.”


Police on Feb. 26 arrested Yumei Jiang, 49, at Golden Finger Massage and Yanling Lisa Sun, 52, at Touch Point Massage after they allegedly offered to perform “illicit sexual acts” for additional pay.


And on March 8, officers arrested Jinlan Liao, 61, of Flushing; Jihong Zhang, 52, of Flushing; and Fang Wang, 57, of Chesterfield — all of whom were employed by Ocean Spa located at 9935 Hull Street Road — after a masseuse at the business allegedly offered an undercover detective sexual acts for an additional cost.


Chesterfield police have been “looking into this for years,” McCullough said. The tips have come “from a variety of sources,” he said, but he declined to specify how detectives had learned of the illicit practices.

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Samuel B. Parker (804) 649-6462

sparker@timesdispatch.com

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