Little River women plead guilty in massage parlor investigation. Was it human trafficking?
Two Little River women are pleading guilty to charges related to the operation of illicit massage parlors in North Carolina. Prosecutors are touting the pleas as a win in the fight against human trafficking despite no trafficking-related charges in the case.
Ok Hwa Lee and Shanyu Song, both living in the North Myrtle Beach area, were among six women arrested in June 2021 after a federal sting operation found they were involved in operating massage parlors where sex acts were offered in Cary and Wilmington, North Carolina. They were also accused of bribing an undercover agent, posing as a corrupt law enforcement officer, to protect their businesses.
All six have agreed to plea deals, with Lee pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy and two counts of bribery and Song pleading to one count of conspiracy. Sentencing hearings are expected to be set during the March court term, according to court records.
Is it human trafficking?
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina listed the case in a press release describing the creation of a human trafficking task force and its continuing commitment to combat the crime.
It’s one of five cases listed under the “Prosecution of Human Traffickers” subhead, intended to highlight prosecutions from 2022 “that have helped to put traffickers and members of their organizations behind bars.” The other four cases all specifically included sex trafficking charges, but none of the six defendants related to the massage parlor investigation faced such charges.
Attorneys representing Lee and Song declined to comment on the plea deals or the press release, though Lee’s attorney did specify in a motion appealing her detainment that the government was not alleging she participated in human trafficking “as is evidenced by the fact there are no charges relating to that subject matter.”
“The investigation concerned illicit massage parlors where commercial sex acts were being performed,” Don Connelly, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, wrote in response to a question about the case being included in the press release. “As in every case, however, the USAO must carefully consider a wide variety of factors in determining the most appropriate charges to bring against a defendant at the time.”
Additional information may be available after the sentencing hearings, Connelly added.
Connection to Horry County investigation
The Sun News previously published an investigation into similar illicit massage parlors operating in Horry County, where law enforcement experts and advocates warned that police were potentially arresting human trafficking victims and charging them with prostitution.
The difference between prostitution and trafficking comes down to choice. When a person uses force, fraud or coercion to get another to engage in prostitution, it is sex trafficking.
Lee, who North Carolina prosecutors described as the leader and manager of six parlors included in their investigation, previously ran at least one massage parlor in Horry County that ended up shutting down following a controversial countywide investigation.
She was listed as the owner of Lily Spa, in Little River, where Horry County Police arrested multiple women in early 2019 during a pair of prostitution stings.
About five months after The Sun News’ investigation published, the county solicitor filed nuisance orders against 20 local massage parlors, most of which voluntarily closed. The Sun News later found that the investigation leading to these civil charges involved numerous local police agencies paying a Columbia-area private investigator, who participated in sex acts with the employees, who were potentially trafficking victims.
Law enforcement experts and human trafficking victim advocates were critical of the massage parlor investigation conducted in Horry County noting, among numerous issues, that the lack of criminal charges meant the business owners could easily move their business and their employees, who could continue to be victimized.
Jane Anderson, a former prosecutor in Miami and current attorney advisor for AEquitas, a nonprofit aimed at improving prosecution practices related to human trafficking, previously told The Sun News that prosecuting these types of businesses for trafficking, even if they suspect that it’s occurring, is difficult because of law enforcement’s struggles to build rapport with the potential victims, often due to the language barrier and cultural distrust of police.
