Crime & Safety

Police: East Lyme Spa Front for Prostitution Ring

Two East Lyme women were arrested Tuesday after a lengthy investigation into Rainforest Spa.

The owner of Rainforest Spa in East Lyme and an employee were arrested Tuesday on allegations that the Flanders Road business was a front for a prostitution ring.

The arrests, announced April 30, were the culmination of an investigation dating back to January of this year in which police reportedly discovered that employees of the massage parlor engaged in sexual acts in exchange for cash. 

On Tuesday afternoon, East Lyme police officers, the East Lyme Resident State Trooper, State Police detectives, Homeland Security Investigations, Connecticut Department of Labor and Connecticut Department of Revenue Services all assisted in the execution of a search and seizure warrant at the 301 Flanders Road business and at the owners' residence, 299 Flanders Road.

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Police seized numerous items of evidence during the search, including ledgers, files, counter-surveillance equipment and cash.  

The women and their charges follow:

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Jia Shia Cao, 63, the owner of Rainforest Spa, was charged with promoting prostitution and permitting prostitution. She was held on a $20,000 court-set Bond and was scheduled to appear in New London Superior Court April 30.

Shaoqing Liu, 51, an employee, was charged with prostitution. Police said Liu could not present positive identification and was held on a $10,000 bond. She was scheduled to appear in New London Superior Court April 30.

Police said the investigation is ongoing.


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