By Hector Flores
In addition, one of the women was charged with prostitution.
According to police, Shuxia Jiang, 42, and Ying X. Chen, 46, both from Flushing, allegedly gave massage therapy without a license to an undercover detective at 2753A North Jerusalem Road in East Meadow in exchange for money. In addition, police said, Shuxia offered to perform a sexual act on the detective in exchange for money.
Detective Lt. Peter Donahue explained that illicit massage parlors are common, and their addresses change every week. ³The people who run them have different women working in them at different times,² he said. ³What happens is, the owner of the parlor will have an [advertisement] in a Flushing paper soliciting workers.²
According to Donahue, ads are also placed on the Internet and daily newspapers. Donahue added that this was not the first time police have made a prostitution arrest in the area. The last arrest took place on June 2.
³[Parlor owners] typically go to commercial landlords who have vacant stores and rent the space for a couple of months,² he explained. ³They then pose as massage places, but in reality they are fronts for prostitution.²
Donahue added that police usually get tips about these places from local residents. ³Usually neighbors report a lot of the activity, and we send an undercover detective.²
According to Donahue, the difference between a legitimate massage parlor and one that disguises a prostitution operation is the appearance of the store front. ³A legitimate massage place looks more like a doctor¹s office,² he said. ³The training to get a license is very expensive and time-consuming, and you must speak English.²
Shuxia and Ying where arraigned on Oct. 1 in First District Court in Hempstead.
Comments about this story? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
