Charleston Police Announce Arrests in Illicit Massage Parlors Operation
Charleston, S.C. - Two massage parlor owners face charges of operating brothels in Charleston after police investigate three businesses. The investigations were led by the CPD Human Trafficking Task Force, assisted by local and federal agencies.
After receiving information from Crime Stoppers and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), CPD detectives initiated investigations regarding the Orange Massage Spa, located at 1124 Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, and the Golden Massage Spa, located at 1649 Savannah Highway. Through the course of the investigation, it was discovered illicit services were being offered and sold. The owner of both businesses, Wen Xu, 56, of West Ashley, was arrested and charged with two counts of Prostitution for operating a brothel on June 15, 2023.
Detectives received additional information regarding prostitution activity from an anonymous tipster regarding the Lucky Spa located at 1703 Savannah Highway. The subsequent investigation led detectives to discover illicit services were also being offered and sold at this location. The owner of the Lucky Spa, Taihua Xianyu, 41, of West Ashley, was arrested and charged with one count of Prostitution for operating a brothel on June 26, 2023.
Both subjects were booked into the Al Cannon Detention Center and appeared for a bond hearing.
The investigations into the Orange Spa and the Golden Spa were assisted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Charleston County Aviation Authority (CCAA), SLED, the Charleston Fire Marshal Division, and the Summerville Police Department. HSI, SLED, and the Charleston Fire Marshal Division also assisted in the investigation into the Lucky Spa.
CPD Captain Andre Jenkins said, “An investigative commitment such as this is a powerful example of how capable our detectives are at completing complicated investigations. It is also an example of how valuable Crime Stoppers tips and law enforcement partnerships are to stopping nefarious activity in our community. We are very appreciative of the continued support provided by Crime Stoppers, HSI, the Charleston County Aviation Authority, SLED, the Charleston Fire Marshal Division, and the Summerville Police Department.”
The investigation is ongoing. We ask anyone with information to contact the on-duty CPD Central detective at (843)720-2422. Anyone with information who wishes to remain anonymous should contact Lowcountry Crime Stoppers at (843)554-1111.