Four women were arrested last week in connection to a range of charges including prostitution, in an ongoing investigation of Bellevue massage parlors and spas, according to the .
According to a press release by the Bellevue Police Department, undercover detectives infiltrated two spas, one in the area of Bellevue Way & Main Street, and the second in the 16400 block of Northeast 8th Street.
The women face charges that range from prostitution to practicing without a license, according to the police department.
The raids were conducted with assistance from the Department of Health, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Bellevue Police Deaprtment.
The Bellevue Police Department is working closely with the property management companies to facilitate the eviction of spas offering illegal services, according to the Bellevue Police Department. These investigations are on-going, the police said in a statement.
Fraudulently obtained licenses, practicing without a license and permitting unlicensed massage are only a few of the violations, according to the Bellevue police department. In some cases, the same person has been arrested for a second time, which increases the violation to a Class C felony, the police department reported.
A total of 55 arrrests have been made this year as a result of the investigation, which began last September, according to previous statements by the police department. Twelve spas in the city have been closed, the police said in its latest statement. The investigation continues, according to the police department.
when it received information about the activity from the Washington State Department of Health and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Among the alleged violations were using fraudulently obtained licenses with fake credentials from China, practicing without a license and permitting unlicensed massage, according to the Bellevue police department
After the initial arrests, some of the businesses and therapists continued to practice and , which increased the violation to a Class C felony, the police department reported.
