Fort Collins Police Investigate Alleged Sex Trafficking Ring In Massage Parlors
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4) - Fort Collins police say a 60-year-old woman forced other women into a life of prostitution at a massage parlor.
Chong Sullivan was arrested on Tuesday and is facing charges of pimping, pandering and keeping a place of prostitution. According to arrest reports, Sullivan was the manager of FTC Massage where police say female employees were forced to perform sex acts on their customers for money.
"Police services received complaints by citizens and from businesses about specific massage parlors in the community that they felt were offering services beyond what they were advertising – prostitution," :Sgt. Kevin Cronin with Fort Collins police said.
Police say the women were forced to work 13 hour says, seven days a week and lived in the basement of the business before it was shut down last year.
"There were probably six or more victims and there were four to five adults different massage parlors , so collectively that were operating these businesses," Cronin said.
FTC Massage was listed on RubMaps.com, a website featuring erotic massage parlors throughout Fort Collins.
Also within the investigation Song Qing Yu, 52, and Fu Zhen Huang, 51, were arrested on similar charges involving two other alleged erotic massage parlors in Fort Collins. Both pleaded guilty to pandering charges in a plea agreement.
Cronin says the bust was part of a national investigation into human trafficking where woman are forced into sexual slavery or forced labor. It's a problem he says is growing in Fort Collins.
"The Front Range is experiencing it more often now and it goes beyond the sex trade," Cronin said.
