Busts lead to evictions at alleged illicit massage stores in Martin County, sheriff says
MARTIN COUNTY ? Years after high profile busts at day spas in a sex-for-pay and human trafficking investigation that ultimately saw charges dropped, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder has been tackling the issue again via another legal means.
Snyder’s disclosure this week came after the May 22 arrests at three massage businesses of women accused of offering sex acts for pay to undercover investigators.
“Everybody knows what's going on. These massage parlors are not hard to figure out,” Snyder said. “It doesn't take rocket science.”
In all, arrests were made at seven massage businesses – most in 2022 and 2023 – and Snyder said most, if not all of the businesses, have been or are expected to be evicted.
“I never gave up,” Snyder said. “I was not having it here.”
5 years ago
The cases harken to February 2019 when Martin sheriff’s officials reported several spas and two women were identified as being involved in a human trafficking ring involving sex and at least 100 men. Four spas in Martin County and one in Jupiter -- Orchids of Asia Day Spa -- were identified.
Meanwhile, on the same day, officials in Indian River County announced a six-month investigation into “multiple massage parlor locations.”
At the time, Snyder said the case began in July 2018 when a detective responded to a complaint from the Health Department regarding what appeared to be human trafficking at a massage parlor. That lead to a complex, lengthy investigation with arrests and search warrants.
Law enforcement agencies in Indian River, Martin and Palm Beach counties developed alleged cash-for-sex cases at the spas, but officials largely backed away from the human trafficking aspects. Hundreds of spa clients were accused across the three counties.
The incidents became international news when Jupiter police said they recorded New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft paying for sex acts at Orchids of Asia Day Spa on consecutive days in January 2019.
Generally speaking, officials used covert video in making the cases, but the videos after much litigation were not allowed to be used in court proceedings and cases against the so-called “johns” were dismissed.
“The courts held that our evidence collecting methodology was not adequate,” Snyder said. “I could not have disagreed more.”
Snyder said covert videos were not used in the more recent cases.
Different strategy
He said he contemplated for considerable time the earlier cases. He renewed efforts targeting alleged illicit massage spas after becoming aware of a statute that can hold landlords criminally responsible if a tenant is an illicit massage parlor engaging in sex acts for pay.
“You cannot knowingly rent space to an illicit massage parlor or one that's actively engaged in prostitution,” Snyder said.
The seven massage spas came under investigation after sheriff’s officials got complaints.
Snyder said the landlords are informed verbally and in writing.
“We don't just go in like cowboys and make arrests, or charge landlords, it's a process, we give them ample time to evict these people,” Snyder said. “If they don't do the eviction, then we'll charge the landlord.”
Asked whether similarities existed between the recent cases and those from 2019, Snyder said nothing has changed. He also thought human trafficking was occurring.
“Women were living in the spas, washing machines and dryers, beds,” he said. “The women were there for a couple of months and then leaving. It was a complete repeat of what we saw when I did it the first time.”
He said all the women are from China and are uncooperative.
“Sometimes justice is a dish that has to be served cold. It took me all this time to finally get at it, but I never gave up,” Snyder said. “I knew at the end of the day, I wasn't going to have prostitution massage parlors in this county.”
New rules
Additional regulations for massage therapists and business owners are in place following legislation approved this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis that aims to combat sex trafficking.
Massage parlors now have requirements that include how dark they are allowed to tint their windows, and the Florida Department of Health will be able to suspend a therapist or business license if the agency finds "probable cause" of sex work, regardless of consent, or sexual misconduct. A provision requires massage therapists to be fully clothed "and such clothing must be fully opaque," but there is a carve out for an establishment chartered with the American Association for Nude Recreation, according to The Tallahassee Democrat.
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Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Crackdown at Martin County alleged illicit massage businesses