On Friday, Nov. 21, the Wilton Police Department announced that they had arrested two people in connection with “illegal sexual activity.” According to police spokesman Lt. Donald Wakeman, the arrests followed an investigation by the department that began in late August of this year.
“We were alerted in late August by a person who works in the area regarding what they felt was suspicious activity involving the Green Tea Spa,” Wakeman told GOOD Morning Wilton in an email. “We conducted periodic surveillance of the establishment beginning in September to try and learn the normal routine of the business and who was coming and going. Our investigation involved the use of an informant as well as an undercover officer and based on the information that was developed from them we were able to obtain a search warrant for the establishment and then make on-scene arrests during our execution of the search warrant on Thursday evening, [Nov. 20].”
That evening, officers from Wilton, with assistance from the Norwalk Police Department, executed a search warrant at Green Tea Spa, located at 7 Danbury Rd.. Based on probable cause that illegal sexual activity was occurring, two female employees of the spa were arrested Thursday.
A press release from the WPD identified the two individuals as Yuxin Zeng, age 44, of Fresh Meadows, NY, and Hui Min Lu, age 53, of Flushing, NY.
Zeng, who was identified as the manager of Green Tea Spa, was charged with promoting prostitution third degree and employing an unlicensed massage therapist. Lu, age 53, of Flushing, NY was charged with Prostitution and Practicing Massage Therapy without a License. Lu was identified as performing a sexual act for money and did not hold a State of CT massage therapy license.
Both subjects were taken to police headquarters and processed on the charges. Each posted a $5,000.00 bond and was released with a court date at Norwalk Superior Court on Dec. 1.
A woman who answered the phone at the Green Tea Spa on Saturday afternoon said the only services offered at the business were massage services–“deep tissue, shiatsu, Swedish, foot rub.” She declined to give her name and any further information.
According to Wakeman, the police cannot order the business to close.
“We do not have the legal authority to close the Green Tea Spa, although we will be following up with the owner of the building to discuss details of the lease,” he said.
This was not the first time Wilton Police have ever made arrests involving alleged prostitution. According to Wakeman, a similar investigation 15 years ago involving a massage business led to arrests.
“We also conducted a sting operation in the past which resulted in a prostitution arrest relative to a female who advertised certain services in a local weekly magazine. In that case, we used a resident’s home and the female arrived and offered a sex act to an undercover officer,” Wakeman explained.