City Prosecutors File Prostitution Charges Against 2 Women In Fremont Massage Parlor Case
City prosecutors have charged a 49-year-old woman and a 50-year-old woman with prostitution following an undercover SPD investigation into a Fremont massage parlor.
Police documents released earlier this month say that Vice detectives received an anonymous complaint late last year about a "possible Asian massage parlor acting as a front for prostitution" in Fremont.
A detective searched for the business—listed in documents as both Tao Massage and the Azure Spa at 469 N 36th St—on Craiglist and Backpage.com and eventually set up an appointment for a massage in early March.
Detectives made four visits to the spa in February and March, paying $50 for a massage and another $40-$50 for a handjob, which police records say officers then declined. Records also note that the women refused to have intercourse with officers, and would only provide handjobs.
During the investigation, detectives learned one of the women had only been in the United States about a year and a half—it appears both women are from China—records say she told one detective she "had to work in the massage business for 'only one more month' and then she would be 'finished.'"
Police contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help identify the women, and police arrested them both on March 25th.
The 50-year-old woman has pleaded not guilty and has a hearing scheduled for next week. The 49-year-old woman entered a pre-trial diversion program, court records say.