'Sex slaves' in Shasta County massage parlors: 2 arrested in human trafficking probe, APD says - Record Searchlight

[massage]

CLOSE

Buy Photo
Anderson Police Department logo

(Photo: Mike Chapman/Record Searchlight)

An organized crime group has been operating massage parlors in the North State where women are expected to perform sex acts "from the time they wake up until the time they go to sleep," Anderson police announced Tuesday.

Anderson Police Chief Michael Johnson said the women are indentured servants or "sex slaves" who were tricked to moving to the North State by two Chinese nationals, a man and a woman, living in Chico who have since been arrested.

The suspects are being held at the Butte County Jail and await extradition to Shasta County, where they will be prosecuted. The Shasta County District Attorney's Office filed 58 felony charges against both suspects, including accusations of money laundering, according to DA Stephanie Bridgett.

Police identified the suspects as a 47-year-old woman, Junhua Wu, and a 51-year-old man, Rui Wang, "who are believed to be the head of this criminal enterprise," according to a press release.

The investigation began with a 2019 tip about Relax Massage in Anderson. Authorities have now identified at least eight massage parlors as part of the investigation, including three in Redding, two in Chico, one in Oroville and one in Red Bluff.

From left: Rui Wang, 51, of Chico and Junhua Wu, 47, of Chico were arrested by law enforcement in connection to a human trafficking investigation in March of 2020.

(Photo: Anderson Police Department)

Anderson police provided this list of the massage parlors and approximate locations:

• Relax with a Massage, 100 block of Hartnell Avenue in Redding
• Chinese Massage, 1500 block of Hartnell Avenue in Redding
• Relaxation Massage, 900 block of Hartnell Avenue in Redding
• Relax Massage, 3000 block of West Center Street in Anderson
• Flower Massage, 100 block of Main Street in Red Bluff
• Relax Massage, 1300 block of Feather River Boulevard in Oroville
• Relax Massage, 1100 block of East Lassen Avenue in Chico
• Relax Massage, 100 block of Cohasset Road in Chico

Anderson police said they've identified at least six potential victims, Chinese women ranging from their 20s to 50s or 60s in age, according to a detective.

"They're promised prosperity. They're promised freedom. They're promised a future," detective Jacob Duncan said. "When they come here, they're stripped of their passports ... and expected to perform sex acts."

Anderson police named the investigation Operation Broken Promise.

Watch the press conference where the news was announced here:

Duncan said the women usually don't speak English very well and usually don't have money, transportation or local family or friends. Duncan said the women were living out of the massage parlors.

Duncan said the investigation took a year because the suspects are "very sophisticated criminals" who are familiar with how authorities conduct criminal investigations.

Several government agencies worked on the case, including the California Franchise Tax Board.

"They were very critical in this case in the details of sorting through the numbers, the false accounts and all the money process that was involved in this very complex investigation," Johnson said at the press conference.

CLOSE

This video from the Shasta County District Attorney's Office describes the DA's role in the community. Redding


Johnson said he has received some questions about why the agency went forward with the case amid the coronavirus pandemic. He said his agency took precautions to protect people involved in the case from the virus.

"Just because we have that issue going on, the public health concern, doesn't mean crime stops," he said. "Crime waits for no man, and we are not going to stop doing our jobs."

Anderson police established a victim center for the women found in the massage parlors. They were offered help with housing, relocation, health screenings and immigration assistance, according to a press release.

Matt Brannon covers politics, the criminal justice system and breaking news for the Record Searchlight. Follow him on Twitter @MattBrannon_RS. Support local coverage and keep up with the North State for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.

Read or Share this story: 'Sex slaves' in Shasta County massage parlors: 2 arrested in human trafficking probe, APD says