One woman convicted, seven await sentencing in 2017 SWFL massage parlor sex case - The...

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Michael Braun Fort Myers News-Press

Published 5:04 PM EST Nov 19, 2018

A Naples woman arrested in 2017 for racketeering violations connected to massage parlors and spas has pleaded guilty and is serving time in a Florida prison. Seven others in the same case are facing sentencing.

The eight, from Naples, Cape Coral, Sarasota, and New York, were among more than a dozen-and-a-half people arrested in June 2017 at spas and massage parlors from Naples to Tallahassee by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Their charges ranged from public order crimes, racketeering violations, money laundering — all felonies — and a misdemeanor health-safety violation of operating a massage parlor as a principal domicile.

A spokesman for a national massage therapy association said behaviors such as those that prompted the charges might only serve to make the public suspicious of the massage therapy profession.

"We are very familiar with the cases in Florida," said Ron Precht, senior manager for communications, American Massage Therapy Association. "It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association that massage therapists who violate the law should be held accountable for their actions."

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Stressing that activities such as these are not representative of the massage therapy profession, Precht said the AMTA and its members view the safety of clients and massage therapists as paramount.

"AMTA members commit to a professional code of ethics," he said.

The first guilty plea after the arrests was entered earlier this year by Jing Zhang, 34, of Naples. She is serving a 21-month prison sentence to be followed by 10 years of probation.

Seven others involved in the case are awaiting sentencing including Ziyi Lang, 45, Ma Xiaoyan, 35, Tongying Yu, 26, all of Naples, Lan Yuan Ju, 47, of Cape Coral, Zu Xue Yu, 32, of Sarasota, Li Hung Xiu, 59, of Flushing, New York, and Caitang Huang, 40, with no known address.

Those awaiting sentencing could get at least minimum prison terms of 21 months or more. Several of them will appear before Judge Frank Porter on Dec. 10.

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The state's office of the Attorney General said there are 11 other defendants still being prosecuted on charges related to the investigation.

The arrests came after an investigation sparked by concerns from the Collier County Sheriff's Office and the Sarasota Police Department of possible prostitution activities at massage parlors in their jurisdictions.

Several of those arrested had active massage therapist licenses in Florida and other states, some of which have expired since then.

A spokesman for the Florida Department of Health, which oversees licensing for massage therapists, said the department's Board of Massage Therapy has a zero-tolerance approach to sexual misconduct in the practice of massage therapy.

"The penalty imposed on a therapist who commits an act of sexual misconduct in the practice of massage therapy is revocation of licensure," said Brad Dalton, deputy press secretary, office of communications, Florida Department of Health. "Any time that we discover that a licensed practitioner has been arrested we begin a preliminary investigation and monitor the situation for a conviction. We also look into the actions that led to the arrest to see if there are any violations where the department has regulatory authority."

In Florida, a professional license is considered a property right, Dalton said, so before licensees can be deprived of their license, they have a constitutional right to due process.

However, he added, if there is an immediate serious danger to the welfare of public health the Florida Surgeon General can immediately suspend or restrict the practitioner’s license until the prosecution has been completed.

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The case of another woman arrested during the investigation, Jian Zhang, 54, of Naples. was resolved, her Attorney Spencer Cordell said. "The state ended up dropping it via filing a notice of No Information," he said.

Case management conferences for several others involved — Xuan Lang, 47, Jun Lang, 41, and Xiajuan Yu, 43, all of Naples — are scheduled Dec.10.

Of those with active cases, only Jun Lang remains in Lee County jail. His bond was set at $1 million and he was charged with three counts of public order crimes, a racketeering violation, and money laundering, all felony charges.

The Florida Division of Corporations listed Jun Lang as an officer and registered agent of Spa 99 on 57th Avenue West in Bradenton with a mailing address on Kent Street in Naples.

Information on two others arrested, Chunyan Li, 48, of Sarasota, and Aihua Zheng, 58, of Bradenton, was not available.

Connect with this reporter: MichaelBraunNP (Facebook) @MichaelBraunNP (Twitter)

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