Owner of Houston, Beaumont massage parlors permanently barred from operating, must pay $700K in penalties, fees - 12newsnow.com KBMT-KJAC

[Scott Eslinger (12NewsNow)]

He is now permanently barred from owning, operating, managing or working in any massage establishment in the state.



BEAUMONT, Texas — The owner of a pair of Beaumont massage parlors and several others in Houston suspected of being involved in human trafficking now owes the state $700,000 in fines and fees and is permanently barred from doing business.


An Austin judge, on September 9, 2024, made a temporary injunction against massage parlor owner Hsin Wei Chen, aka Andy Chen, or Andrew Chen, into a permanent one, according to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.


He is now permanently barred from owning, operating, managing or working in any massage establishment in the state, according to the news release.


Chen must also pay $680,000 in civil penalties and more than $20,000 in fees and court costs, according to TDLR. If Chen doesn't pay the fines and fees, the unpaid balance will accrue 8.5% interest annually.


A temporary injunction was originally obtained by TDLR on August 14, 2024, months after Chen had agreed to shut them all down and leave the business for good. Five days after the temporary injunction was in place, at least one of the Beaumont locations appeared to still be open for business.


On May 30, 2024, an emergency shutdown was ordered by the TDLR for the massage parlors, according to an earlier news release from the agency.


At that time, inspectors from the TDLR discovered "reasonable cause that human trafficking" may have been happening at the massage parlor off of Texas Highway 249 in Tomball, the release said. The agency noted that Chen had been involved with the agency in another case "involving similar conduct."


In June 2024 Chen agreed to shut down all nine of his massage parlors including seven in the Houston area and two in Beaumont. As part of this "agreed order" with TDLR he also promised to "permanently leave the massage industry," according to a news release and file stories.


In Beaumont, Chen's massage parlors are Ivy Massage, at 1780 N. Major Dr. and A Massage D/B/A Reflexology Massage LLC at 2570 I-10 E.


On June 24, 2024, a 12News crew found that both locations appeared to still be open with unlocked doors and brightly lit neon "open" signs still visible in the windows.


12News reached out to the state at the time to see if it was okay for the businesses to still be in operation, to which they responded, "They're supposed to be closed now. Continued operation of the establishment may result in the imposition of additional penalties and sanctions. We are in contact with local law enforcement to inform them of the action we've taken, and will evaluate other actions we may be able to take against the establishment and its owner."


In June, a phone call to Ivy Massage, on Major Dr resulted in texts being sent back offering to make an appointment for a massage.


As recent as Saturday, August 10, 2024, 12News received an unsolicited text from a different number reading, "Dear customers, hello, the new shop and new girls are open as usual. Come and try it and experience a different massage. Thank you open today."


The new number included an image that appeared to be a business card for a massage parlor called "Moonlight Massage" with the same address, 1780 N. Major Dr., that Chen's Ivy Massage was located at.


When 12News responded to the August 10 text on August 19, 2024, asking if a massage could be scheduled this week, the response was, "Of course, come anytime."


TDLR sought the temporary injunction after Chen failed to close down his massage parlors, according to the news release. A hearing is scheduled for September 30, 2024 to make the order permanent.


The temporary injunction is supposed to keep from Chen "owning, operating, managing, engaging in, working in, or being employed by massage establishments in Texas." If he continues he could be held in contempt of court and face fines and possibly jail time the release said.


“We appreciate the assistance of the Texas Office of the Attorney General in this matter,” Courtney Arbour, TDLR executive director is quoted in the news release as saying. “Massage establishment owners who are suspected of human trafficking should know that TDLR will pursue other enforcement actions when an owner continues to operate after agreeing to a permanent license revocation or receipt of an emergency closure order.”


If you have information about a crime you could earn a cash reward of up to $1000 by providing an ANONYMOUS tip to Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas.


Call 833-TIPS (8477) or download the P3Tips App on your mobile device to submit your tip anonymously.


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