Two people have been ordered to serve time for running a prostitution enterprise out of a Symmes Township spa, according to prosecutors.
Yinliu Shi, 45, and Zhiguo Zhang, 48, both of Flushing, New York, were sentenced by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jody Luebbers to two years in prison. Court records show that Zhang was sentenced on July 13, while Shi’s sentence was handed down last month.
They both pleaded guilty to promoting prostitution, money laundering and telecommunications fraud.
Shi and Zhang accepted cash in exchange for commercial sex acts at the Sunflower Spa on Loveland Madeira Road, the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office said in a news release. The pair then laundered the proceeds through multiple bank accounts.
Prosecutors said Shi lived in a nearby apartment with women who worked at the spa. The illegal enterprise started as early as June 2023.
“Illegal brothels are not victimless businesses,” Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich said in the release. “They fuel exploitation, enrich criminals and threaten the safety of our neighborhoods. Our office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to dismantle these operations and hold offenders accountable.”
The Enquirer left messages for attorneys representing Shi and Zhang, but they weren’t immediately available.
Prosecutors say a third person, 50-year-old Pingwei Cheng, remains wanted on charges related to the case, including promoting prostitution, money laundering and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pair sentenced for running prostitution enterprise from local spa
Reporting by Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
