Three Quincy massage parlors raided in prostitution and money-laundering sting
Quincy police and partner agencies served search warrants on three Broadway massage businesses, arresting three women on prostitution charges and seizing more than $70,000 in currency in a months-long investigation.
QUINCY, Ill. — Three massage parlors along Broadway in Quincy were raided by a multi-agency task force last week, resulting in the arrest of three women on prostitution and money-laundering charges and the seizure of more than $70,000 in U.S. currency.
The Quincy Police Department said detectives launched the investigation after receiving information that the businesses were offering illicit sexual services under the guise of massage therapy. Investigators used surveillance, undercover operations and corroborating evidence to establish probable cause. Multiple search warrants were served Thursday, August 27, at Good Day Spa at 2007 Broadway, Star Spa at 1224 Broadway, and Melody's Massage at 1825 Broadway.
According to police, the businesses had been under surveillance for several months, with a source telling local news outlets that monitoring began around April.
Qiumei Hu, 47, was arrested and charged with prostitution, a Class A misdemeanor. Sanmei Wang, 43, was charged with prostitution and with money laundering, a Class 2 felony. A third woman, Shuqin Zhong, 53, was also charged with prostitution and money laundering, according to court records. All three told the court that their address is Good Day Spa.
The three women appeared before Adams County Judge Joshua L. Jones on Friday. The judge said state law did not allow them to be detained pending trial, but he noted they could not meet a GPS electronic monitoring condition because police had seized their cell phones as evidence. Public Defender Sarah Lucey said the defendants would be able to secure new phones by Monday, at their next scheduled court appearance, to comply with 24-hour electronic monitoring.
All three were ordered released from custody Monday, though the court set a condition that they not leave the state of Illinois. Zhong told the court she had ties to Chicago.
Assistant Adams County State's Attorney Tim Bass raised concerns about the defendants' release, telling the court they had no ties to the community. The judge said he would not consider their immigration status and that it would not have changed his ruling.
The investigation was a joint operation between Quincy Police detectives, the West Central Illinois Task Force, the Human Trafficking Task Force, the Illinois State Police, and Homeland Security. Police initially reported that more than $17,000 in currency was seized before upgrading that figure to more than $70,000. Electronic evidence was taken from each location, and additional seizures are pending.
Quincy Detective Sgt. Adams Gibson confirmed the operation involved undercover work and the seizure of electronic evidence at all three locations.