According to WPIX News, the owner of two illicit massage parlors in South Hills was arrested for allegedly offering sexual services to customers. The fifty-year-old female owner, Feng Yu Sun, was arrested after a year-long investigation conducted by police into her massage business. She owned two businesses in the South Hills area known as Pink Body Works and Health Spa II. Both massage businesses were investigated by police in March of 2018. During undercover operations, investigators documented eight instances when the owner and her employees allegedly offered sexual services for additional payment.
Investigators also allegedly discovered advertisements linked to the massage parlors on multiple escort services websites often visited by those looking to purchase illicit sex. The illicit massage businesses were also mentioned on multiple message boards and in comment sections where sex buyers could leave reviews of their sexual experiences.
Police allegedly found five women, including the business owner, offering sexual services. Although the owner’s employees also allegedly offered sexual services for additional compensation at the massage businesses, only the owner was charged at the conclusion of the investigation. After raiding the massage parlors, the owner was formally charged with eight counts of promoting prostitution by owning and operating a prostitution business and four counts of prostitution for her alleged engagement in sexual activity for compensation. On November 5th, Sun’s bail was set for $25,000 and posted a day later on November 6th.
The CSE Institute believes those who sell sex, who have traditionally been the target of law enforcement efforts, should be offered social services that address the root causes of commercial sexual exploitation – poverty, trauma, lack of resources, and addiction – to name a few. These include the women who were being sold for sex during this investigation. We encourage law enforcement and all those involved to provide these victims with the services and exit strategies they need. Further, while the CSE Institute is encouraged by Washington County authorities for recovering several woman from the commercial sex industry, the CSE Institute stands firm that those who buy sex drive the market, thereby encouraging human trafficking and other forms of sexual exploitation. Because of this, it is imperative authorities focus their investigative and prosecutorial resources on targeting the demand for commercial sex. The truly culpable parties here are the persons who choose to use their disposable income to engage in otherwise unwanted sex acts with prostituted persons. The criminal culpability should always be on sex buyers, as their actions not only directly drive the market for human trafficking, but contribute to the trauma of the person they are buying for sex.