22 people arrested after human trafficking investigation in Cumberland County - WGAL Susquehanna Valley Pa.

[Sarah Metts]

INVESTIGATION. IT IS THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS IT’S 22 ARRESTS. SO FAR. THIS IS ONLY PHASE TWO OF THEIR HUMAN TRAFFICKING OPERATION THAT THEY HAVE GOING ON. HE SAYS TRUST ME, MORE ARRESTS ARE COMING. WE’RE TRYING TO SEND A MESSAGE HERE, A MESSAGE THAT STARTS WITH A MASSAGE. ACCORDING TO DISTRICT ATTORNEY SEAN MCCORMACK. WHAT WE’VE BEEN TARGETING RECENTLY IS THE ASIAN MASSAGE PARLORS, THE ONES THAT OPERATE THAT ALSO PROVIDE SEXUAL SERVICES FOR MONEY. HE SAYS PARLOR LICENSE HOLDER CHUANSHA WANG IS ACCUSED OF ADDING TO HER BUSINESS’S LIST OF SERVICES. SEXUAL FAVORS, LEADING TO HER ARREST, PLUS THE PERMANENT SHUTDOWN OF GL MASSAGE THERAPY AND LEE’S ASIAN MASSAGE. WE BECAME AWARE OF THAT OPERATION. BESIDES, YOU KNOW, DRIVING BY AND SEEING THE SIGN, WE WE GOT A TIP. HE SAYS A CONCERNED CITIZEN REPORTED TO THEM THE MANY DIFFERENT FREQUENT MALE CUSTOMERS COMING DURING ALL HOURS OF THE NIGHT. WE FOLLOW UP WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WE SEE FREQUENTING THE BUSINESSES. THE DA SAYS THAT UNDERCOVER DETECTIVE WORK LED TO THE ARREST OF 18 MEN IN AN OPERATION CALLED IMPACT, DEMAND, THAT SPECIFICALLY GOES AFTER THE CUSTOMERS IN THESE CASES. MCCORMACK SAYS THEY PUT OUT FAKE PROSTITUTION ADS AND SET THEM UP, A TACTIC THEY’VE BEEN USING SINCE THEY LAUNCHED THE ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING OPERATION BACK IN 2022. UP TO NOW, I THINK WE’VE ARRESTED CLOSE TO 85 PEOPLE IN OUR IMPACT DEMAND, WHICH IS AGAIN GOING AFTER THE CUSTOMERS. SO, YOU KNOW, TO TO THE PEOPLE ANSWERING THOSE ADS, THERE’S A GOOD CHANCE YOU’RE GOING TO BE GOING IN AND BEING ARRESTED. THE DA SAYS THAT THEY ALSO ARRESTED TWO OTHER PEOPLE OUT OF NEW YORK IN CONNECTION TO THIS CASE. NOW, ACCORDING TO COURT DOCUMENTS, WANG’S PRELIMINARY HEARING IS SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW MORNING I




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22 people arrested after human trafficking investigation in Cumberland County

The Cumberland County district attorney's office announced the arrests of 22 individuals in connection with two ongoing human trafficking enforcement operations. District Attorney Sean McCormack says Operation: Closed2Trafficking is about going after the places that offer sexual favors in exchange for money."What we've been targeting recently is the Asian massage parlors, the ones that operate, that also provide sexual services for money," says McCormack. According to the district attorney's office, law enforcement arrested Chuan Xia Wang for offering these services at two massage parlors in Carlisle, GL Massage Therapy and Li's Asian Massage. "Last year in 2023 we shut down five businesses under a similar operation," says McCormack.The DA's office says it was tipped off by a concerned citizen about GL Massage Therapy's excessive amount of male customers and its operating at all hours of the night.McCormack says they first executed a search warrant at GL Massage Therapy, then at Li's Asian Massage. Both businesses had Wang listed as a license holder.In addition to going after the source of these operations, the district attorney says it goes after the customers who keep them in business. "We placed an ad and they showed up," says McCormack. "We did two of those operations, one in Hampton Township and the other in Silver Spring, and that resulted in the arrest of 19 different men."Those arrested for promoting prostitution:Travis Walters, Turbotville, Pennsylvania, age 29Donald Miller, Dover, Pennsylvania, age 57Jeffrey Nguyen, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, age 34Jason Martin, South Fork, Pennsylvania, age 42Robert Kraft, Millerstown, Pennsylvania, age 33Naeem Ahmad, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, age 33Michael Cassel, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, age 32James Williams, Millersburg, Pennsylvania, age 53Frantz Alteus, Dickson City, Pennsylvania, age 50Jeremy Herman, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, age 54David Wholaver, Plain City, Ohio, age 56Those arrested for drug-related offenses:Matthew Peterson, Danville, Pennsylvania, age 43Sebastian Klinger, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, age 32Joseph Biddle, Tyrone, Pennsylvania, age 54Robert Campbell, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, age 38Christopher Striker, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, age 34Timothy Bricker, age 62Juan Perez, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, age 36Ravi Bastola, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, age 40Two additional individuals from Flushing, New York, were arrested for prostitution as a result of the investigation, according to the DA's office.McCormack says more arrests are still to come.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. —

The Cumberland County district attorney's office announced the arrests of 22 individuals in connection with two ongoing human trafficking enforcement operations.

District Attorney Sean McCormack says Operation: Closed2Trafficking is about going after the places that offer sexual favors in exchange for money.

"What we've been targeting recently is the Asian massage parlors, the ones that operate, that also provide sexual services for money," says McCormack.

According to the district attorney's office, law enforcement arrested Chuan Xia Wang for offering these services at two massage parlors in Carlisle, GL Massage Therapy and Li's Asian Massage.

"Last year in 2023 we shut down five businesses under a similar operation," says McCormack.

The DA's office says it was tipped off by a concerned citizen about GL Massage Therapy's excessive amount of male customers and its operating at all hours of the night.

McCormack says they first executed a search warrant at GL Massage Therapy, then at Li's Asian Massage. Both businesses had Wang listed as a license holder.

In addition to going after the source of these operations, the district attorney says it goes after the customers who keep them in business.

"We placed an ad and they showed up," says McCormack. "We did two of those operations, one in Hampton Township and the other in Silver Spring, and that resulted in the arrest of 19 different men."

Those arrested for promoting prostitution:

• Travis Walters, Turbotville, Pennsylvania, age 29
• Donald Miller, Dover, Pennsylvania, age 57
• Jeffrey Nguyen, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, age 34
• Jason Martin, South Fork, Pennsylvania, age 42
• Robert Kraft, Millerstown, Pennsylvania, age 33
• Naeem Ahmad, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, age 33
• Michael Cassel, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, age 32
• James Williams, Millersburg, Pennsylvania, age 53
• Frantz Alteus, Dickson City, Pennsylvania, age 50
• Jeremy Herman, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, age 54
• David Wholaver, Plain City, Ohio, age 56

Those arrested for drug-related offenses:

• Matthew Peterson, Danville, Pennsylvania, age 43
• Sebastian Klinger, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, age 32
• Joseph Biddle, Tyrone, Pennsylvania, age 54
• Robert Campbell, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, age 38
• Christopher Striker, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, age 34
• Timothy Bricker, age 62
• Juan Perez, Lansdale, Pennsylvania, age 36
• Ravi Bastola, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, age 40

Two additional individuals from Flushing, New York, were arrested for prostitution as a result of the investigation, according to the DA's office.

McCormack says more arrests are still to come.