Shixun Lan, 52, appeared in Washington County District Court last week on three felony charges β sex trafficking, promoting prostitution and running a business to conceal criminal proceeds.
At the court hearing, Judge John C. Hoffman requested an interpreter for Lan, who is being represented by a public defender. Morning Report: Get the best stories from St. Paul and its suburbs in your inbox. In May , Lan was given approval by Woodbury to operate a massage parlor and soon thereafter began advertising in the massage section of backpage.
Members of the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force conducted surveillance of the massage parlor from June through early September and saw mostly men entering and leaving. Two women appeared to be living inside.
Lan was seen transporting women to her apartment and to White Orchid Spa, a White Bear Lake massage parlor she also owned. She also made trips to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Several customers were interviewed during traffic stops after leaving Woodbury Wellness. Another man gave a similar account of his experiences there.
Simultaneous search warrants were executed Sept. A device that emits ultra-violet light revealed bodily fluids in every massage room. Three woman who were at Woodbury Wellness and White Orchid Spa denied providing sexual acts to customers. One woman who did not have a license to be a massage therapist in Woodbury was in possession of a large amount of cash. Another woman was a former employee of Therapy Massage, a massage parlor in Mahtomedi whose owner has been sentenced in Washington County for felony promotion of prostitution, according to charges.
