Lehigh County massage parlor's neighbors suspected prostitution, glad to see ... - le

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The Lehigh County business authorities say was a front for prostitution*has been a source of complaints for years, according to court records.
South Whitehall Township*police have been receiving complaints about Aries Spa, 3333 Hamilton Blvd., since 2008.*There were complaints about male customers entering and exiting through the business' rear door and suspected sexual activity inside the spa, as well as concerns that employees were living there, records say.
Carol Greenwalt*owns Dorneyville Beverage, which is just a few doors down from Aries Spa. She's among those who lodged complaints about the business.
"I'm glad it finally happened," Greenwalt said of the spa's closure "We would call and make complaints to South Whitehall Township ... since the day it opened."
Other Dorneyville Shopping Center business owners have long suspected illegal activity at Aries Spa, Greenwalt said. "I'm glad it's gone because it hurt our business," she said. "People didn't want to come here because they know what was going on."
Police have conducted periodic surveillance at the massage parlor, but were unable to establish probable cause and secure a search warrant until last week, according to the county district attorney's office.
Township police and the Lehigh County Drug Task Force on Thursday afternoon executed a search warrant at the spa and arrested five women accused of trading sexual favors for cash, as well as a sixth woman accused of managing the establishment.
New York residents Jinyu Yu Yang, 43; Xian Shun Zi, 37; Gui Yue Xu, 51; Kim Young Soon, 55; and Sun Mi Lee, 36, are each charged with a single misdemeanor count of prostitution. They were arraigned before District Judge Wayne Maura and sent to county jail in lieu of $10,000 bail each.
Pun Son Hutcheson, a 61-year-old Connecticut resident, is charged with a single felony count of promoting prostitution. She's in jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.
Authorities seized $12,000 cash, condoms, a laptop, a tablet, cellphones and paperwork during their search of the spa. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security assisted with the investigation of Aries Spa.
County drug task force Detective Chad Moyer in November 2008 followed up on the complaints, conducted surveillance and made contact with an Aries Spa customer, records say. The customer told the detective he'd paid $200 for an hour-long massage and at its conclusion the masseuse had performed a sex act on him, records say.
The building's owner, Haresh Joshi, in November relayed his suspicions about prostitution at Aries Spa to police, telling them he'd asked employees to stop letting customers access the rear door, records say. He also told authorities other businesses in the shopping center had complained about the establishment.
Joshi told police he hired a private investigator who in September visited the spa, paid $70 for a 50-minute massage that concluded with a "happy ending," or a sex act, records say. The investigator afterward tipped the masseuse.
A second investigator hired by Joshi visited the spa later that month and had a similar experience, however, the masseuse had sex with him in addition to performing a sex act, records say. The investigators supplied Joshi with a notarized affidavit recounting their visits to the spa.
Authorities in October conducted surveillance at Aries Spa and saw a number of men enter the business and exit after spending about an hour inside, records say. Investigators subsequently found the spa listed on websites such as spa hunters.com and rubmaps.com.
In the following months, authorities pulled over men as they left the spa and some of them helped police identify Aries Spa employees who'd traded sexual favors for cash, records say. The men were not charged.
Precious Petty may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @precpetty. Find Lehigh County news on Facebook.