Six women arrested, indicted in alleged illegal massage parlor operation in North Carolina

Published 3:08 pm Wednesday, June 30, 2021

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Six women from Flushing, New York and Little River, South Carolina were arrested on June 16 and 17, 2021 on charges involving conspiracy, bribery and operating illegal massage parlors offering prostitution and indicted on June 22, 2021, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of North Carolina.

According to court documents, Ok Hwa Lee, Shanyu Song, OgBun Park, XueJin Bai and Ming Ji Cao allegedly conspired to pay bribes to a law enforcement officer (who was actually an undercover agent posing as a corrupt law enforcement officer) to provide protection for the operation of illegal massage parlors in Cary and Wilmington, where sexual services were offered, stated the release.

An indictment charges them with conspiracy, bribery and operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce.

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Xiang Yue Jin, charged separately, allegedly also bribed an undercover agent, believing that he would protect her illegal massage parlors (where sexual services were offered) from law enforcement scrutiny, stated the release.

An indictment charges her with bribery and operating an illegal prostitution enterprise in interstate commerce.

G. Norman Acker III, acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement. The Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office, the Cary Police Department, the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, the Wilmington Police Department, the Horry County Police Department, the United States Marshals Service and other state and local investigators. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin C. Blondel and Bryan Stephany are prosecuting the case.

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