Shaoping Wen and her son, Xu Wang, have been sentenced for operating massage parlors as fronts for commercial sex activities, according to Chad E. Meacham, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.
In September 2024, a federal grand jury indicted the couple on conspiracy and other charges linked to the running of illegal massage parlors in Texas and New Mexico.
According to court filings, Wen, who is 65 years old, owned and controlled at least seven massage parlors where Asian women engaged in illicit commercial sex, while her 42-year-old son, Wang, managed the parlors in her absence. Wen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate travel and use of interstate facilities in furtherance of racketeering businesses in November 2024, and U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk sentenced him to 12 months and one day in federal prison. The court also sentenced her to forfeit $291,990.88 and pay a money judgment of $1,771,360 to the US.
Wang pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony and was sentenced to 362 days in prison, followed by a year of supervised release. Court filings reveal that undercover police procured massages from Wen’s parlors between June 2023 and February 2024, with an additional charge for sex. The women involved identified as Chinese nationals and were classified as “laborers.”
The inquiry indicated that Wen’s vehicle was used to take Asian ladies from the airport to the massage parlors, where they looked to live, as beds were found on the premises. Websites known for promoting commercial sex featured advertisements for the parlors, complete with suggestive imagery and descriptions of the services offered.
Searches of Wen’s parlors in March 2024 revealed additional evidence of unlawful activity, including condoms and cash. According to casino records, Wen often traveled to California to launder the revenues of her enterprises, cashing out nearly $1,771,360 in chips between January 2018 and August 2023. The inquiry was undertaken by the Dallas Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Inquiry.
