Two Bucks County businesses: New Super AcuCare of Fairless Hills and Trenton Day Spa of Morrisville, have been forced to shut down in connection with an investigation into prostitution and human trafficking. This occurred after Falls Township Police executed search warrants on March 11, 2022, as part of a month’s long investigation in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security and Network of Victim Assistance. According to the police, evidence was seized during the searches.
These closures come just months after Bucks became the first county in Pennsylvania to regulate massage businesses in an effort to fight sex trafficking. Unfortunately, massage businesses are a prominent venue for illicit sex buying in the Commonwealth and neighboring states. The annual revenue for these illegal establishments is estimated at approximately $2.5 billion, nation-wide.
Targeting and shutting down the venues of sex buying is a crucial component in the fight against commercial sexual exploitation. Targeting the promoters and beneficiaries of sex buying has been proven to lead to a decrease in demand for commercial sex and, by extension, a decrease in commercial sexual exploitation. Through the criminalization of sex-buyers, sex traffickers, and third-party affiliates, and the decriminalization of prostituted persons, we can begin to move towards a world free of sexual exploitation.
No charges have yet been filed in connection with the Bucks County massage business closures. The CSE Institute commends the efforts of Bucks County, the Falls Township Police, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Network of Victim Assistance as they work to end commercial sexual exploitation. We will provide updates as they become available.
All views expressed herein are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law or of Villanova University.