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PUTNAM VALLEY, N.Y. (1010 WINS) — A Hudson Valley husband and wife were sentenced to prison for running a sophisticated prostitution ring through multiple massage parlors across New York, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced Friday.
Hong Ru Lin and his partner Kena Zhao were sentenced on Jan. 10 for violating the Travel Act by operating brothels at multiple massage parlors in Putnam, Westchester, New York and Queens counties.
The couple operated the prostitution ring between at least September 2020 and September 2023, managing a roster of women who worked at the massage parlors and performed sexual acts for customers.
Charging documents and court records show that Lin and Zhao communicated by cellphone and private chatrooms to manage their business. They also used these methods to communicate with potential clients, assign particular employees and customers, monitor income and set performance goals for the women working in the massage parlors.
On at least one occasion, Zhao personally participated in a massage during which a sexual act was offered to a customer, the Justice Department said.
Both Lin, 51, and Zhao, 46, were sentenced to one year and one day in prison, as well as two years of supervised release. The couple also agreed to forfeit the massage parlors’ bank accounts, assets and cash proceeds from the businesses and a $1.3 million money judgment.
“Today’s sentences hold them accountable for their actions,” Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said. “This Office will continue to investigate those who sponsor illegal prostitution, even if their criminal activities take place behind the closed doors of supposedly legitimate businesses.”