Ravenna massage parlor operators found guilty after plea deals - Record-Courier

[Jeff Saunders]

Two women pleaded guilty to lesser charges May 13 in a case stemming from the October raid on Ravenna massage parlors.

The women initially were charged with promoting prostitution after massage parlors on North Chestnut Street and South Meridian Street were raided by Ravenna police, the Summit County Collaborative Against Human Trafficking and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Hongxiang Liu, 48, and Aijuan Xiong, 40, pleaded no contest May 13 and were found guilty on a fifth-degree felony charge of possessing criminal tools, a cell phone. They also pleaded no contest to receiving proceeds from the commission of an offense subject to forfeiture proceedings, a fifth-degree felony for Liu and a first-degree misdemeanor for Xiong. The charges include specifications related to confiscated cash, nearly $8,300 in Liu's case and $710 in Xiong's.

The promoting prostitution charges were dismissed in plea deals.

Ravenna police said they, the Summit County Collaborative Against Human Trafficking and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation executed search warrants at the massage parlors Liu and Xiong operated at 112 N. Chestnut St. and 444 S. Meridian St. respectively. The collaborative is made up of the Ohio Attorney General's Office, and sheriff's offices in Summit, Stark and Portage counties.

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The operation followed a months-long joint investigation that included the use of undercover law enforcement officers.

Liu claimed the two businesses were competitors, but police said they used the same business agent located in Flushing, New York, to get their domestic for-profit corporation articles.

Liu and Xiong both previously lived in Flushing. Court records still list the North Chestnut massage parlor's address as Liu's, while Xiong has a New Castle, Pennylvania, address.

Sentencing is pending a presentencing investigation.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.