Prostitution alleged at boro massage parlor

BY JOHN DUNPHY Staff Writer

BY JOHN DUNPHY
Staff Writer

SAYREVILLE — A yearlong investigation into an alleged prostitution ring at a Route 35 spa has yielded four arrests.

Police, who made the arrests April 13 at New Life Spa, in the Morgan section, charge that employees were engaging in sexual acts with customers inside the spa for extra payment. All four suspects are from New York, but police said they had been living on the premises at the time of the arrests.

Kan “Lucy” Chun, 58, of Woodside, was charged with promoting prostitution and managing the establishment for prostitution; and Kum “Sophie” Oh, 41, also of Woodside; Ji “Jane” Gu, 42, of Flushing; and Yuna “Yumei” Jin, 41, also of Flushing, were each charged with numerous counts of prostitution and promoting prostitution

The spa, which was licensed by the state to perform massages, has been shut down as a result of the arrests, according to police.

The spa had been in operation since summer 2003, said Sayreville Detective Sgt. Jeffrey Sprague, who led the investigation with the Sayreville Police Narcotics Bureau.

While noting that, in typical cases where prostitution has taken place in spas or massage parlors, the suspects will work at a given location for a couple of months and then move on to another operation.

“Very seldom do the girls stay there unless it is a very good business,” Sprague said. “This one was.”

He said the usual rate for a massage at the spa was $60 an hour, and that it was understood that any extra services would be paid with a gratuity, usually an additional $40.

Sprague said clients would come from all over New Jersey and even from as far as Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York.

Numerous massage parlors in East Brunswick have also been shut down by police in recent years on prostitution-related charges, and Sprague said this was not the first spa in Sayreville where arrests have been made. Several parlors on Route 9 were shut down about three years ago. Prior to that, Sayreville police worked in conjunction with Old Bridge officers in investigating several parlors on routes 9 and 34.

While police believe that many clients went to the spa seeking unlawful activity, Sprague added that not every customer was aware of the alleged sexual behavior. Police believe that in some cases, unwitting patrons would be receiving a massage when the employee would begin to commit an inappropriate act.

The investigation was prompted by an anonymous tip made to police.

Sprague added that the length of the investigation was extended in an effort to avoid tipping off the suspects. Also, as more prostitution rings have been shut down, others where the illegal acts are alleged have begun to use less obvious forms of communication regarding what is being offered.

The less that is said and the more alternate means of communication that are used, “the safer it is to commit these crimes,” he said.

“You really have to be involved in the investigation to see if it takes place. You have to be very careful,” Sprague said.

In some cases, an employee who is in the country illegally is working against their will for fear of being deported. Sprague said that was not the case at the Sayreville spa.

“My biggest concern is, you want to make sure that the girls are there on their own,” he said. “They know why they’re there, not because they have to pay someone back for being in this country.”

“[It’s been] a lengthy investigation but if you can save one girl from being in that position, then it’s worth it,” Sprague added.

All four suspects have been released from custody, pending a court hearing. Sprague said fines could range from $250 to $1,000 and probation may also result, should the women be tried at the municipal level and found guilty. If they are tried in state Superior Court, a pre-trial intervention might be requested that could result in probation for six to 12 months.