Two massage parlor owners charged with running brothels, SC police say

Two massage parlor owners were arrested and accused of operating brothels in their South Carolina businesses, the Charleston Police Department said.

After receiving information from CrimeStoppers and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Charleston officers investigated both the Orange Massage Spa (at 1124 Sam Rittenberg Blvd.) and the Golden Massage Spa (at 1649 Savannah Highway), police said in a news release.

The officers discovered illicit services were being offered and sold, and the owner of both businesses, 56-year-old West Ashley resident Wen Xu, was arrested and charged with two counts of sex/prostitution for operating a brothel, according to the release.

Police said they also received an anonymous tip about prostitution at the Lucky Spa (at 1703 Savannah Highway), which is about 500 feet from the Golden Massage Spa. An investigation uncovered illicit services were also being offered and sold at the Lucky Spa, according to the release.

The owner of the Lucky Spa, 41-year-old West Ashley resident Taihua Xianyu, was arrested and charged with one count of sex/prostitution for operating a brothel, police said.

Both Xu and Xianyu were booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center and were released after their bonds were set at $930 and $2,125, respectively, Charleston County court records show. Both Xu and Xianyu are scheduled to appear in court again on Aug. 1, according to judicial records.

The Charleston Police Department’s human trafficking task force led the investigations and got assistance from SLED, Homeland Security Investigations, the Charleston County Aviation Authority, the Charleston Fire Marshal Division and the Summerville Police Department.

Despite the arrests, the investigations are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 843-720-2422, or Lowcountry CrimeStoppers at 843-554-1111.

Investigations like this are “an example of how valuable CrimeStoppers tips and law enforcement partnerships are to stopping nefarious activity in our community,” police Capt. Andre Jenkins said in the release.