Police broke up three Mamaroneck illegal massage parlors leading to the arrest of five women, including three on prostitution charges.
Mamaroneck police raided three day spas Thursday and found that massages were being offered without proper licensing, while workers were also moonlighting as prostitutes.
The probe came after authorities had received a tip about suspected prostitution rings operating out of several parlors in the village. Local police were joined by the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, New York State Police, and MTA Police during their probe.
At Cozy Spa, located at 437 Ward Ave., near the train station, police said massages were provided to patrons without proper licensing and a sexual act was also offered to an undercover investigator in exchange for money. Two employees were arrested as a result.
Then, a woman at a second-floor suite located at 416 Mamaroneck Ave., along the bustling commercial corridor was arrested and charged with prostitution when she offered to sleep with an investigator for a fee.
At Harbor Beauty Spa, a storefront at 172. E. Boston Post Road, sexual services were also offered to investigators following massages being performed on them, leading to the arrest of two additional women.
All three businesses were shut down by the Mamaroneck Building Department.
The five women arrested — Ruili Shang, 40, of Fresh Meadows; Yu Jiang, 30, of Brooklyn; Kanahara Yoshiko, 51, of Queens; Yu-Hua Lin, 53, of Queens; and Zhenhua Cui, 42, of Queens — were charged with the unauthorized practice of a profession, a felony. Three of them were also hit with prostitution charges, a misdemeanor, while one woman was nabbed for promoting prostitution, a misdemeanor.
The suspects were all issued desk appearance tickets and are scheduled to appear in village court on Feb. 12.
