Woodbury massage parlor was a front for prostitution, charges say - TwinCities.com-Pioneer...

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A White Bear Lake woman is accused of pimping out women at a Woodbury massage parlor.

Shixun Lan, 52, appeared in Washington County District Court last week on three felony charges — sex trafficking, promoting prostitution and running a business to conceal criminal proceeds. At the court hearing, Judge John C. Hoffman requested an interpreter for Lan, who is being represented by a public defender.

Shixun Lan (Courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office)

According to a criminal complaint:

In May 2017, Lan was given approval by Woodbury to operate a massage parlor and soon thereafter began advertising in the massage section of backpage.com, showing photos of Asian females and the inside of the business.

Members of the East Metro Human Trafficking Task Force conducted surveillance of the massage parlor from June 2018 through early September and saw mostly men entering and leaving. Two women appeared to be living inside.

Lan was seen transporting women to her apartment and to White Orchid Spa, a White Bear Lake massage parlor she also owned. She also made trips to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Several customers were interviewed during traffic stops after leaving Woodbury Wellness. One man said he had been there five or six times and had “tipped” three different women $40 after sexual acts. Another man gave a similar account of his experiences there.

Last month, according to charges, an off-duty Washington County sheriff’s investigator saw condom wrappers fall out of a trash bag that a woman carried from the business and to a dumpster.

Simultaneous search warrants were executed Sept. 11 at Lan’s apartment, Woodbury Wellness and White Orchid Spa. A device that emits ultra-violet light revealed bodily fluids in every massage room.

Three woman who were at Woodbury Wellness and White Orchid Spa denied providing sexual acts to customers. One woman who did not have a license to be a massage therapist in Woodbury was in possession of a large amount of cash.
Another woman was a former employee of Therapy Massage, a massage parlor in Mahtomedi whose owner has been sentenced in Washington County for felony promotion of prostitution, according to charges.

Lan was arrested outside a Woodbury bank and declined to speak with investigators. She had more than $7,000 cash on her.

Lan, who remains jailed, is due back in court Oct. 24.

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