LAWRENCE: Police say fake masseuses were really prostitutes

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Two women have been charged with promoting prostitution at the Red Roof Inn on Brunswick Pike in the last three weeks, attempting to cover their intentions by masquerading as masseuses, according to Lawrence police Lt. Charles B. Edgar.
    Lina Brown, 52, of Sea Girt, was charged at 1:48 p.m. Feb. 12 and Teen A. Ng, 48, of Ridgefield, was charged at 2:10 p.m. Feb. 20, Lt. Edgar said. Both women were released on summonses, he said.
    The arrests occurred after police checked out advertisements placed by the women in a local newspaper and on the Craigslist Web site, Lt. Edgar said. Ms. Brown placed the newspaper ad and Ms. Ng placed the Craigslist ad.
    The two women were charged after offering to perform unspecified sexual acts on the undercover police officer who responded to the advertisements offering massages, Lt. Edgar said. An act does not have to occur for an offense to have been committed, he said, adding that reaching an agreement on payment for a sexual act is the key.
    “We called the telephone numbers and found (the women) were offering services that were taking place at the Red Roof Inn,” he said. The police made arrangements to meet with the women and when they offered a massage as well as additional sexual services for additional money to the officer, they were arrested, he said.
    Lt. Edgar said the police regularly monitor newspaper classified advertisements and Web sites for such services. If a masseuse is offering services from a non-traditional location — such as a motel instead of a legitimate storefront or a day spa — “it raises our detectives’ suspicions,” he said.
    “If (a massage) is being offered in a motel, in the eyes of law enforcement it raises suspicion and it is worthy of additional investigation by our detectives,” Lt. Edgar said, adding that it amounts to a “quality of life” issue.
    “We want to make Lawrence a safe place for our citizens and for legitimate patrons of the motels,” he said. “An unsuspecting person who comes for a massage could become a victim of crime such as theft. Prostitution has been associated with drug use and theft.”
    The Lawrence Township Police Department will continue to monitor newspaper advertisements and Web sites to ensure that illegal activity such as prostitution does not occur in the township’s motels, Lt. Edgar said.