St. Charles massage spa closed after police sting - Chicago Tribune

[massage]

One of three St. Charles massage spas hit with charges in a recent police sting is now closed.

The future of the other two are uncertain pending Liquor Control Commission and county court hearings.

The 51-year-old owner of Lotus Spa, Fenglan Smythe of Crystal Springs, turned its keys in to the owner of the space it was leasing in the 1700 block of Lincoln Highway March 28, about two weeks after Smythe was charged with violating the massage licensing act by giving a massage while she was unlicensed. Smythe pleaded guilty to the charge and waived a hearing in a form letter to the city's Liquor Control Commission dated March 29, according to documents provided by the city.

Smythe, who could not be reached for this story, admitted to operating the spa without a valid Illinois massage therapist license, according to a police report.


Lotus Spa is the only business of the three that is not connected with current prostitution charges. Two Chicago women, one from each of the other massage spas targeted in last month's police sting operation, were charged with prostitution after they offered to perform a sex act for an undercover agent in exchange for money, police said.

Xinnian Hu, 48, was charged with prostitution and practicing massage without a license at Best Massage in the 2000 block of East Main Street. Ok Kim, 62, was charged with prostitution at Main Spa, in the 500 block of East Main Street.

At 4:15 p.m. March 15, an agent assigned to conduct a compliance check at Lotus went into the spa with $80 of police department-issued cash and asked for a one-hour massage.

The agent had seen a photograph of Smythe and knew she was not a licensed massage therapist. He paid a female employee who looked exactly like Smythe's photograph $60 bills for a massage, he later told his colleagues. Smythe was the only employee inside the business at the time, according to the report.

A little more than an hour later, the undercover officer left the spa. He then told one of the other police officers involved in the operation what happened. The other officers and detectives went inside and started to talk with Smythe, who told officers she was in the process of completing her massage therapist classes and knew she was not yet supposed to be giving massages. Police then arrested her for violating the massage license act by not having a license and took her to the police department. Smythe has no previous criminal record in Kane County, records show.

Earlier that day, at Best Massage, the same crew of officers and detectives conducted a similar operation.


At 12:40 p.m. that Tuesday, the agent went into Best Massage and paid a female employee later identified as Xinnian Hu $60 for a massage that quickly turned into a violation. During the massage, Hu allegedly began touching the agent's genitals, according to the police report. She then agreed to perform a sex act on the agent for $60.

Once the agent agreed to receive the sex act, he immediately got dressed, gave the employee a $10 tip and left, according to the police report.

Hu only spoke Mandarin Chinese. Through a translator, the officers told Hu she was under arrest for prostitution.

At the St. Charles Liquor Control Commission meeting Monday, Rudy Pham, the son of the owner, represented Best Massage. His mother was present but she did not talk to the commission, said police spokesman Dave Kintz. On behalf of the spa, Pham pleaded guilty to the charges in front of the commission, which must now decide whether to revoke or suspend the business' license, or impose a fine.

After Best Massage, at Main Spa, the undercover agent was given $100 and the same assignment.

At 2:57 p.m., the agent went into the spa. One female employee later identified as Ok Kim was working, and he gave her two $50 bills for a massage. During that massage, he and the employee agreed to exchange money for a sex act, but immediately after the agreement, the man got dressed and left the business, according to a police report.

At that point, the officers went inside the spa and found Kim. They told her about the investigation, and she did not deny anything, according to the police report. They then told her she was under arrest for prostitution.

Kim did have a state-issued massage therapist license.

Records show Kim was arrested by the Chicago Police Department for prostitution in 2000 and 2002.

Main Spa has been granted a continuation of their hearing before the Liquor Control Commission to April 18.

The commission has the power to revoke and suspend licenses and impose fines on businesses it has licensed that are found guilty of violating the terms of their licenses. Charges brought by St. Charles police are separately tried in Kane County Court. Smythe, Kim and Hu each have dates to appear in Kane County Court April 21.

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