St. Cloud woman accused of sex trafficking, promoting prostitution - St. Cloud Times

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Chuck Derry, co-founder of the Gender Violence Institute in Clearwater and the Minnesota Men’s Action Network, debunks myths surrounding sex trafficking and prostitution.

Yanhang Lin(Photo: Stearns County Jail)


WAITE PARK — A St. Cloud woman has been arrested in connection with allegations of prostitution at Riverwood Massage and Body Works, 2077 Frontage Road, Waite Park.

The arrest of Yanhang Lin, 33, of St. Cloud came after an investigation launched in February by the Central Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force.

According to the criminal complaint released Friday, a man told Waite Park police that month he went to Riverwood Massage and Body Works for a massage. Toward the end of his massage, the masseuse "grabbed his penis and stated that for an extra $100 she would continue." The man declined and left.

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The task force had reports of an "abnormal amount of traffic" at the business and that the "'masseuses' were having sexual contact with the patrons."

Lin is listed as the owner of Riverwood Massage and Body Works, according to Waite Park licensing data. The business is a tenant of the Riverwood Mall.

An investigator spoke with the mall owner who said some rent payments were made directly from a bank account controlled by Lin and another adult male.

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Riverwood Massage & Body Works is shown Friday, May 11, in the Riverwood Mall in Waite Park. (Photo: Jason Wachter, jwachter@stcloudtimes.com)


In March, an investigator located an ad for Riverwood Massage and Body Works on backpage.com. The ad showed "young Asian females wearing little clothing" and "being portrayed in provactive poses."

In April, an investigator saw two women leaving the business and followed them to an an apartment complex on Cypress Road in St. Cloud.

On May 8, an investigator kept watch at the massage business. At about 9:15 a.m., he saw Lin and another woman arrive and enter the building.

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The investigator continued to watch the business. He saw "numerous men" enter the business throughout the day but no women patrons, the complaint said.

Three of the men who entered the business were identified and contacted by the investigator. All three men "ultimately admitted that they had received manual stimulation of their penis . . . to the point of orgasm" by female masseuses at Riverwood Massage and Body Works, according to the criminal complaint.

The men described two women from whom they received sex acts.

Later that night, at approximately 10 p.m., the investigator saw Lin and the same woman leave the business.

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Riverwood Massage & Body Works is shown Friday, May 11, in the Riverwood Mall in Waite Park. (Photo: Jason Wachter, jwachter@stcloudtimes.com)


Once again, according to the criminal complaint, Lin drove the other woman to the same apartment complex on Cypress Road.

Two days later, investigators with warrants searched Riverwood Massage and Lin's apartment on Cypress Road.

At the business, they found a woman and naked man in a massage room. The man did not have any sheet or towel covering him. Lin was also at the business during the search.

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Investigators found and seized multiple cell phones, passports, financial documents and U.S. currency during the searches.

The maximum sentence for engaging in the sex trafficking of an individual is 15 years in prison and a $40,000 fine. The maximum sentence for promoting prostitution of an individual is 15 years in prison and a $40,000 fine. Both are felony-level charges.

The investigation is ongoing.

Follow Clairissa Baker on Twitter @clairissabaker and email her at cmbaker@stcloudtimes.com.

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