COLUMBUS – For the first time, Columbus officials made use of the Ohio’s public nuisance law to shutter a North Side massage parlor they say was a front for human trafficking and prostitution.
The city obtained an emergency court order from the Franklin County Environmental Court to board up East Wind Massage, 6815 Flags Center Drive, the first case in which Columbus authorities have used civil litigation under the state’s nuisance abatement code to shut down a human trafficking operation, City Attorney Zach Klein said Friday.
“We hope today’s court order sends a strong message to other operators in the city who may be engaging in illicit activity that this is the first case of its kind, but it may not be the last,” Klein said in a written release from his office.
Representatives from the Salvation Army and Asian American Services were onsite following the board-up to assist any of the workers who were in need of help, Klein said.
The property owner is listed as a company registered in the state of Delaware named Flags Columbus Partners LP, Klein said. A separate limited liability company registered in Ohio, Far Eastern Health Spa, is the holder of the massage license at the premises, William Cope of Grove City is listed as the president of Far Eastern Health Spa and Lihua Qiao is named as the vice president and the operator of the massage parlor, Klein said. He says his office notified Flags Columbus, Far Eastern Health Spa and East Wind Massage of the complaints in December 2017 but continued to receive reports as late as last week.
Columbus police and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office began investigating the business last year after receiving complaints about potential prostitution and human trafficking at the massage parlor.
According to court documents, investigators reviewed Sex Guide USA, a website where reviews for sexually oriented massage parlor businesses are posted, and discovered 13 postings referencing “sexual conduct in exchange for money” at the business. Detectives also reviewed Backpage.com, a website frequently used to advertise sexual conduct for hire, and found advertisements for East Wind Massage that contained “suggestive photos of young Asian girls.”
A hearing for preliminary and permanent injunctive relief is scheduled for May 4 and, if the property is deemed to be a statutorily defined public nuisance, state law grants the court authority to order the premises shut down for up to one year.